Tales of Twilight
by Insaneiac The Maniac
Summary: The world of Aselia is shattered and breaking apart at the seams. The Eight Testaments of the Sovereign move to complete a task that will erase the world. Can the Heroes of Symphonia win against the end embodied?
1. Chapter 1: Dearly Beloved

**Insaneiac: After writing my little angst Yuan/Raine one shot, something gestated. That gestation turned into a plot that had ME, the plotter, wondering what would happen. I tried to disavow it, I tried to say "I've already got Faraway Promises and Beneath the Surface" but it didn't work. SO! At the risk of killing my update schedule even more, I present to you a new epic from Insaneiac the Maniac. It revolves around…a song. This is also, by the way, completely NOT AU, and takes placed about a year after Yasashii Ryoute, so I suggest you read it…if only to get some of the bigger parts of it. If this makes sense, it should take place roughly two years after Tales of Symphonia**

**Special Thanks: Recently, I've begun to talk with a wonderful writer named Spiritua Masquerade, and had she not assisted me in the ways she did with this chapter and parts of the story, I think I would have written something lame. I owe her a great deal to getting this chapter looking the way it does, and I honestly could not have done this without you.**

_Summary: The end of the world is coming. Signs have become apparent. Deaths that should not be the reawakening and revival of old nightmares and nemesis, bitter returns and shattering farewells. A world covered by sin, the first step in the purge and rebirth. The Sovereign's song shall mark both conclusion and renewal, and her Testaments will guide the world to the end of its legacy._

Disclaimer: While I actually own the idea, the characters of this and its setting belong to Namco. Well, most of the characters.  


_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_I want to hear that song again. The song that dooms the world.  
I want to hear its majesty and purity.  
I want to listen to her voice of immaculate perfection.  
I would gladly give to her will to hear…that song._

_A pale shine casts from the Lance of Symphony  
Impaling our world like an arrow to a bird  
A top it, many miles and miles away I can still see and hear her  
I would never dare pull my eyes away or close my ears off._

_She is the Sovereign, the Queen who Sings the world to death  
So that rebirth may rejuvenate this land once more.  
Her Testaments collect her pieces from the world's floor  
And reassemble her atop the Lance_

_That is the Sovereign…her majesty untapped until our end arrives.  
Body of a Goddess  
Wings of an Angel  
Voice of the Heart._

_Her song is the last thing I'll ever hear  
And I am glad for it._

**_------_**

_**It began with a tragedy**_

**_The Tales of Symphonia are long ones. Unlike most, they span thousands upon thousands of years, and two faithful individuals who were bound to an ideal and more the same than either would ever admit._**

_**My role in this lasted from one end to the other, as a hero, a villain, and much that is in-between. If not for my son…I'd probably have been responsible for the death of this planet.  
Or at least a good deal responsible.**_

**_However, this is not about those times. That is written in history as the Tales of Symphonia. I know the author of it actually, and he is still arrogant to this day.  
This is about what followed it. Some called it the Tales of Testament. Some called it the Tales of Conclusion. Some simply called it the Final Tale._**  
_**I called it our darkest and brightest hour entwined. I saw it as what truly made us great.  
I felt the Tales of Twilight fit nicely**_  
**_I saw former enemies create a bond more solid that steel. I saw people abandon race and come closer than any before._**  
_**I saw former comrades find love and trust, and others forgive themselves their transgressions.  
All the same…I saw friends descend into evil  
I saw loved ones march against us**_

**_This…these words are not a recounting…I suppose if anything this is an epilogue to the Tales of Symphonia that had been left out of the original, and a prologue to what came after._**  
_**After the battle within Castle Vinheim, many thought it was over.  
This is the end of my speech, and most likely my life will follow it shortly.  
Four thousands years of life has given me many memories, and I truly wished this was never one.**_

_**Never the less it is.**_

_**Some said it began with tragedy. The death of Genis Sage.**_

_**That death caused the party that saved the worlds to shatter and split. Many changed, and some slowly found their ways return, while others were permanently altered.  
I say it began with an event of elation  
A marriage that spawned from that death. Love spawned from death, when deaths deaden both of them.  
So, it begins with the marriage of my closest comrade Yuan, and the level headed and intelligent Raine.**_  
**_Something I never thought could happen._**

_**Even after four thousand years, I am still ignorant to some truths.**_

_**-Kratos Aurion  
**__**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_  
**The Tales of Twilight**  
_**--------------------------------**_  
**Chapter 1: Dearly Beloved  
**_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

It begins with elation.

"Dammit!" Yuan cursed, still hidden within the confines of his rather well adorned tent. He had never considered himself sloppy in preparations, but then again he never quite got as far as this in the game of love. He was a very mere hour from being married underneath the Linkite Tree and was just trying his hardest to make himself look stable. Inside his head, however, Yuan was doing what Yuan did best. Contemplating everything and anything that could go astray. A rouge attack by half-elf separatists, the King of Meltokio going postal and invading the world, Armageddon, a spontaneous dive from Raine into ruin mode, Derris-Kharlan falling upon the planet, the sudden and unexplainable destruction of someone's town and its people. Some said Yuan was paranoid, but he just thought of it as being prepared for anything, everything, and then some. With another long sigh, Yuan ran a hand through his head and glanced down at the ground. For the first time far too long, his head of ruthlessly uncooperative hair had been mangled and molded into something befitting of a King on his wedding date.

"What am I so afraid of here…?" He muttered to himself, glancing up at a mirror within the tent. He was standing in a custom tailored outfit befitting of a Lord or perhaps a Vassal of the King. He didn't like to think about it, but he knew he would owe Zelos for it in the long run. It was a dazzling suit, the underlying shirt being that of a cloud white shirt with bronze trimming around the collar and down the center of the shirt. His top piece was a marvelous testament to money and hand-eye coordination. A dark blue coat of high quality silk with velvet cuffs and dark red trim around the golden collar and down the center adorned his upper torso while dark blue dress pants with dark red sides lined with gold and secured to his being with a silver belt of sorts. His hands were garnished with proper white gloves with dazzling silver palms and upon his feet were shoes befitting of an emperor, white in color with silver linings and velvet lacings. To be sure, it was the single most extravagant and probably the single most expensive thing he had ever worn.

A fervent series of footsteps sounded outside his tent flaps, and Yuan slowly shifted his head to the source of the noise. A pair of shadows lingered outside his tent and a slow grimace formed upon his face as he realized just who it was. It was always the same two that it was an hour ago, scratching at the tent flaps like kittens pleading for attention. Always wanting to see the same thing they had asked for last time. The two fed off each others enthusiasm in the unhealthiest of fashions.

"Come on…puh-lease…" Came the first voice, pawing at the flap. Zelos Wilder, the man that had both managed to find him the suit and, regretfully, was one of Yuan's toughest choices. When this was all beginning, he and Raine needed to decide who would marry them, and unfortunately for him, she wanted Zelos to marry the two of them. Seeing as how Raine would strike Zelos with blunt objects at the most random of times, it disturbed him that she wanted Zelos to marry the two of them. "I promised we won't laugh…LET US LOVE YOU!" Came another loud reply, causing Yuan to shake his head even more. The Linkite Tree was merely a walk away, the very center for the marriage that Yuan had both longed for and dreaded. The day could not be more pristine, and he was being yelled at by a very nearly special-needs swordsman and his heroic comrade who was two steps away from being in the same boat as Zelos.

"Don't be shy…Come on Yuan. Don't you trust us?" Despite the soft words, the tone behind them even managed to send a shiver up Yuan's spine. Lloyd Irving. The son of his closest comrade, The Eternal Swordsman and the Mithos of Modern Day. Of course, he hasn't split the worlds and gone borderline insane…but even the way he acted seemed similar to the Mithos of old. The two of them had been more than excited about the wedding, even though the day that no one wanted to speak of had come and gone just a month prior.

Yuan growled and caved. "Oh fine…" Lloyd, believe it or not, had been Yuan's choice to follow him down to the altar. It was probably a combination of things, most likely the fact that Lloyd reminded him of both Kratos and Mithos. It was also most likely because if he didn't, Lloyd would have found some other way to make himself a part of the wedding. That required Lloyd to think, and nothing truly good ever came of Lloyd attempting complex plans. "Come in…" Yuan finished, trying his hardest not to sound sheepish. Even without his weapon of choice, Yuan had electricity at his beck and call, and angelic powers as well. No matter what his soon to be wife wanted, if they laughed at him he would fry the tent and both of the idiots with it.

The flaps were practically flung open as if a hurricane blasted through, and Zelos and Lloyd came barging in like it was some sort of birthday party. Maybe to them it was, but to him it was far more important and thought hampering. Within a moment, the excitement died down as both Lloyd and Zelos stared in silence. Suddenly Yuan felt like a piece of art on display, and that was never something the seraph could stand. Yuan took the time of observation to note that Lloyd had dressed himself in the suit took the warrior out of him and made the teen seem like a duke. It was an expertly tailored black three piece tuxedo that fit Lloyd like a glove. Zelos, however, was still in his metro sexual get up that never ceased to either make Yuan grin or make Yuan frown. Unbeknownst to the two comrades, his left eye began twitching violently as they stared, and just as he was about to hurl something at the pair, the pair spoke in unison. That too disturbed both himself and anyone who knew the both of them on a personal level.

"Wow…" They breathed, glancing at each other before turning back to Yuan with big smiles on their faces

"Yuan, you look wonderful." It was Zelos' sincere voice. He had reserved it for when all the jokes were cast aside. Albeit it, that side seemed to become a permanent part of him after the death of Genis, he had managed to retain both parts of his personality in a shaky union. "You look really, truly good my man. Like a prince."

"Raine is going to absolutely love it." Lloyd said. For some odd reason, it was at that point that Yuan felt like running away. Of course, he knew he'd never get far enough from her, he still wanted to. "You're nervous aren't you?"

'_WHOA! Hold up!'_ Yuan mentally screamed, locking eyes with Lloyd. "So what, now your empathetic as well." Yuan mumbled, turning around to grab the black bowtie that would complete the outfit. "And you're sure we couldn't somehow work a cape into this?"

"Absolutely not!" Zelos exclaimed, crossing his arms. "That exquisite outfit cannot be tarnished by a cape. You are going to get married, not to battle. It would be an insult!"

"So you say…" Yuan quipped in return, his voice still not completely hiding the constant nervous twinges that rested within in. Zelos would have commented on, had his gaze not been focused on Lloyd as he glared off behind him. It wasn't long until Yuan noticed Lloyd as well, a frown with a teasing amount of concern resting on his face. Sure, maybe he cared, but to hell if he was going to let them know that. He had an image to maintain.

Zelos ended up becoming seemingly bi-polar after Genis died, which was something that he never could understand. Yet in his opinion, Lloyd changed the most out of the two, and in a far more disturbing manner. For the longest time, Lloyd was in constant grief and usually seemed to be more lost than anything else. Something helped him get back on the right path, either one way or another. At first, Yuan and Zelos discounted it as just an invisible recreation of Genis or perhaps a voice in his head. It wasn't long until the two realized he had been arguing with the voice, and even yelling at it. Soon after, Lloyd had revealed that, ever since the moment Genis passed away, he had been able to see and speak and, in some cases even touch Mithos. That alone disturbed both of them to no known end. It was soon spread through to the rest of the comrades, save for Kratos and Colette…but the latter was a completely different story all around. Lloyd was afraid everyone would turn against him and try to kill him, or at least that was what Mithos had tried to convince him. To Lloyd's surprise, it was Yuan that reassured him nothing of the sort would happen. That was the day he told both Yuan and Zelos the final part of the deal. He had access to all of Mithos' memories and the emotions caused by each one of them. He would have gone on further but Yuan had told him to be silent before walking away in a brooding silence. Zelos, on the other hand, wanted to hear more about it, and soon Lloyd had spilled his final secret with the perverted swordsman. Yuan never did ask about it as time went on.

"Now what is he saying?" Zelos inquired, snapping Lloyd out of his daze. Shaking his head once, Lloyd turned his eyes to Yuan before shifting them to the ground.

"He wants Yuan to know that he thinks he looks good." Lloyd muttered, scratching the back of his head. In a heartbeat, Lloyd's head whipped up and to the immediate right, a furious glare on his face. "AND I AM NOT SAYING THAT!" Lloyd suddenly yelled, throwing a punch through the air. He paused for a moment as the swing finished before pumping his fist in the air.

"Did you get him?" Yuan asked enlightened. A slow smile from the brunette told him that he had. "I suddenly feel better now."

"I bet you my Academic Hottie is just a…" The glance Zelos received from Yuan could have frozen hell and level a mountain range. It also very quickly humbled and horrified Zelos Wilder. "I mean…I bet Raine is nervous too, so don't worry."

"Raine! Nervous?" Yuan spat, laughing as he contemplated the thought ever so briefly. "A year with that woman has taught me better Zelos. If Raine Sage is ever nervous, then we all have good, good cause to be the same."

**_------ Raine Sage's Tent ------_**

"Yuan! Nervous?" Raine spat, roaring in laughter as the thought filled her mind. "A year with that man has taught me something profound Sheena. If he EVER gets nervous, then I am sure there is something world threatening approaching!" Raine replied, the emotion of jest fleeting to return her to a borderline edgy state. She gently bit down on her bottom lip, adorned in a hue of kind and persistent red. Sighing, she turned to the mirror to look at herself one final time

Raine had been transformed from the scientist/teacher like image she wore nigh religiously to the picturesque image of beauty. Hours of work on her hair had finally achieved the desired result, as every silvery strand rested meekly, not once curling up and reaching to just above her shoulders. Adoring her forehead was an exquisite chain of silver with an ornate sapphire gem in the center of it, resting upon her brow just above her nose. Yuan had bought it for her as a sign of engagement to her, and this had been the second time she had worn it, saving it for the most special of occasions. Her face had been made up and brought out the inner queen from the rough beauty that was more often than not presented. Around her neck was a necklace with light blue fiber and a striking amber pendant in the shape of a leaf hung just above her bosom. A snow white wedding dress rested beneath the pendant and stretched down to cover her lower body completely, while a pair of white gloves that reached all the way past her elbows adorned her arms, leaving the rest of her upper body uncovered. Upon her feet she wore a pair of white sandals with gold straps that Queens would wage wars for, although Raine was ready to wage a war on them. Finally, the most important part of a wedding gown, the headpiece. A multilayered dazzling display of whites that, although blended together amidst each layer, each still stood distinct among the other. The immaculate headpiece ran down to the small of her back, and the fourth and final layer hanged lower on the sides and front than the rest and draped over her shoulders and down along the fronts of her arms. Resting gently above her head was the silver veil that would cover her face, thin enough to be seen through and yet thick enough to hide the true beauty beneath its surface.

"I'm really doing this aren't I…?" Raine muttered whilst in the midst of swallowing deeply. "I'm not just going to wake up now and find myself standing in front of his grave am I?" Slowly, she turned her head to Sheena and frowned speculatively. "Tell me this isn't some dream."

"With Zelos about to marry you to Yuan, I'd be more afraid of it being a nightmare." Sheena jested, waving her hand gingerly in the air at the mention of the redhead. "I mean, why him Raine? I could never understand that decision. Even Lloyd would have been a better choice in my opinion, and let's be honest here…I'm not sure he could even pronounce half the worlds required." Sheena had always poked fun at Lloyd, but the way she did it was different from her way of speaking about Zelos. When she spoke about Lloyd, even in comedy there was admiration behind the words. To her, Lloyd seemed to be a tower of steadfast determination, incapable of faltering in the pursuit and execution of his beliefs. Even with the creepy little bastard that caused the mess in the first place living within his head.

"I too would like to know Raine. It's confusing…" Presea spoke up, her voice wavering a little as she tried to cope with confusion. The reaction to Genis' death was taken in many different fashions. Sheena became a shoulder for anyone who needed it, and aside from Zelos who had refused to show any tears in public, everyone found themselves making use of her. Presea, on the other hand, was jarred by it in a much more shocking fashion. She soon began to understand that Genis loved her, or at the very least cared for her deeply. Like acid, it ate away at the emotional cage that confined Presea and her feelings.

One day later was all it took, one day later and Lloyd mentioning Genis' name in passing as he and Zelos were about to continue the journey they had started at the end of the battle with Mithos. All at once, every emotion she had thought to be lost of had poured into her soul, freed from the cage. When it did, everyone simply watched as Presea stood still in the middle of the room before bringing her hands to her head and screaming as loud as she could. At least that was what Raine had been told

She was told that Presea didn't stop screaming for several hours, until she broke out into tears. She didn't stop crying for a week. To this day, Raine still pitied her. It took the death of someone that loved her, something she never truly understood until it was far too late, to finally crack through the invincible emotional barricade and bring them all out. Ever since, Presea had been struggling with her emotions, trying to get them under control. She went from having almost none at all to fighting to keep them all contained.

"I just felt like having Zelos do it. Do I need a reason for everything?" Raine retorted, unwilling to defend her stance on the matter.

"Yes…you do. More than anyone Raine. You're supposed to be the reasonable one, so people like Lloyd and myself don't end up getting killed or something." Sheena replied, her voice borderline fearful. "Half the reasons half of us are still alive is because you kept a level head. I ca-"

A long sigh escaped Raine's mouth, a sigh fraught with all her pent up nervousness. She turned to Sheena to answer her when she stopped in mid sentence. Unless Sheena had suddenly developed a form of ninja training that required her to stand perfectly still with a hand in the air and her mouth wide open, Raine had the feeling that she wasn't intentionally standing like such. "Sheena?"

Nothing. "Sheena? Now is not the time for this Sheena, come on." Still nothing. "I swear to…you and Lloyd are more alike than I thought. Presea, why is-" Again, Raine stopped in mid sentence when she saw Presea standing perfectly still, her neck tilted backwards and to the side in what had to be one of the most uncomfortable positions imaginable. "Not you too Presea. Snap out of it already." Raine stated with a considerably unamused tone. Her eyes shifted to the rest of the tent, noting that none of it was moving in the slightest. It was as if everything was frozen flawlessly, in whatever pose it might be.

"_Silence."_ A male voice spoke. A voice that felt like fog wrapping around ones skin and sounded like shadows fleeting from the flickering of a candle. It brought shivers to the wife-to-be that rippled through her body. _"All is silent."_ Spinning around, Raine began to search the square tent for the source of the voice, a little more than nervous now. _"All is silent when it should not be."_ Finally, Raine turned her head back to where it had been before, and came face to face with a black fabric. Before she could do anything, a pair of hands slipped within the headdress and rested on each side of her head, rubbing it gently. To Raine, it felt like mist bouncing off of ones skin, and frightened her to no end.

The being in front of her looked to be no more than a floating black cloak with a drawn hood and more blackness acting as either a face or a mask. Even the hands that rested on her cheeks were black. His touch was cold, but not like the cold of ice. This was a cold that seeped through her entire body and tried to suffocate her. No, the cold was not suffocating…it was drowning her. Her eyes struggled to stay focused on the blackness in front of her. However, it was more than just a blackness that loomed in front of her. This was a black that seemed to invite her into it. A black that promised sleep and peace. A black that invited her to _die_ within it.

Pushing away to the best of her ability, Raine nearly dripped over the train of her gown and stumbled across the short space of room between her the tent wall, colliding and collapsing onto a chair. In front of her, the floating black fabric lowered to the ground before it became anything nearly tangible. The shifting and swirling ghost like cloak took on form and feature, tightening and closing in around what had to be a human shape. Standing at almost a full foot and a half taller than Regal was, the black cloaked man rubbed his hands tenderly before resting them at his side. Even behind the black, slit less fabric of his mask Raine could feel his eyes resting on her being. He had a very athletic build to him, and when she looked closely she could notice the blackness on the figure flickering from his frame, almost as if it were a slow moving inferno. Somehow, Raine found her voice amidst the sudden fear that overtook her. The chill, however, had yet to truly leave her body. It seemed to cling to her as though it craved the warmth she bore within her.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell do you want?" Raine growled, her attitude suddenly betraying her rather majestic image. At the other end of the white cloth tent stood the pitch blackness embodied, taunting her with his complete silence. Waving a hand in the air slowly, the blackness turned and marched towards Presea, placing his right hand on her forehead and resting it there, sighing. "Don't make me repeat myself!" Raine growled anew as the shadowy figured did much the same to Sheena, though this time without the sigh.

"Nothing quite as warm as life. It is like an eternal flame sealed within black ice. Even when encased in a frozen prison, its warmth is ever felt. Only death can take that flame and that heat. Draw it away and leave only the icy remains." The cloaked one spoke, this time his voice sounding like that of a matured poet, carrying a gentle curve to it that betrayed the words and the figure."Then again, death can strengthen flames as well…can they not? A death has spawned an even more distinct flame, something that could melt that icy prison. Love. Death connects those who shut themselves off from the world, to simply hide, and brings them together."

"Are you quite sane?" Raine choked out, pushing to her feet and looking fervently for her staff. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she was sure she could take on a cloaked poet, even if he could suddenly go all ghost-like.

"I am her royal right hand. I am the hand that takes life and the hand that is first to touch a new life." The chilling words that filled the tent effortlessly seemed to freeze Raine anew in her search, and almost forced her head to glance back at the specter. "I am the Black Testament of Death, the Sovereign's right hand. Her Testaments move anew and in tandem with the days left to this world." A confused look from Raine was enough of an invitation for the specter to continue speaking. "This world is unfit for existence. Her will deems it so."

"Whoever this "her" is, she can take her will and stuff it." Raine exclaimed in return, turning her shocked gaze into a solid glare. She masked mind numbing fear with fierce confrontation

"The defiance of the living is admirable but foolish. Regardless, this world will end." Slowly, the figure faded back into the floating mass of black cloth, raising an arm to point at Raine. Even without seeing a face, she could feel a glare so cold that it froze her to the core. "_Redemption is awaiting you Raine Sage. You will have your part to play in the end, just like the rest of the masses."_ With that, the cloth took a quick spin before charging towards Raine. In an instance she had her hands raised to her face and a silent scream ringing from her throat.

"Whoa, Raine! Are you okay?" Sheena spoke suddenly, snapping the half-elf out of her screaming posture. Raine suddenly felt to hands gripping her shoulders and shaking her carefully, drawing her back from the sudden shock. Slowly, she lowered her hands and blinked a few times, trying to reassemble her thoughts and composure, glancing at Sheena worriedly. "Come on Raine. Don't go shaky on me now."

"Didn't you see that…black…" She tried to be as scientific as possible in describing it, but at that moment her words were failing her as potently as her wit. "…ghost… The cloaked thing. Didn't you see that?" Raine spurted out, already knowing what the response would be. "Great…I probably sound like an insane Lloyd."

"No, not quite. You're not talking to Mithos yet." Sheena responded, taking a gentle shot at Lloyd. Her attitude suddenly shifted to one of seriousness as she considered Lloyd. Within a heartbeat, the subject changed. "We've still got no way to help him with that, do we?"

"No…poor Lloyd." Raine replied.

"Can't Yuan help him at all?" Presea ventured, scratching the back of her head carefully. "He has much more advanced equipment." Raine could note the worry in her voice, but she knew by the girl's reluctance to hide any of it that it was sincere.

"He's already said there is nothing he can do. What about Origin? Can he suggest anything?" Raine inquired. She was doing something she promised she would not do today, and that was letting her almost motherly side show. Lloyd, Colette and, when he was still alive, Genis were all like children to her. After Genis died, Colette ran away. She had considered Raine a heartless traitor after she announced she was in love with Yuan, and after a scathing set of remarks that breached the veil of innocence around Colette, the girl fled. To this day, well over a half year since the confrontation, no one had ever managed to find her. With them gone, Lloyd was really all she had left of her previous life. A life that, when she looked back, was a blissful happiness. She might be in love now, with someone she was willing to trust her life to in all her ways…but she missed the days of old, where she would play the motherly role to three polar opposites who called themselves best friends. She never noticed the convoluted face Sheena wore at the mention of Origin, her hand rubbing the back of her head.

"I don't know…he hasn't responded to me since Genis died. It's like he's shutting himself off from me. I even went to his stone and…and this is the part that baffles me…I can never find it. I take the same route as always, but I can never get to there. Frankly Raine, it worries me."

"That's impossible. Origin wouldn't just disappear." Presea spoke, the still unfamiliar emotion of shock becoming apparent on her face. For a moment, she struggled to swallow the emotion and regain her composure before going on. "Wouldn't the world be in grave danger if he disappeared?"

"More than you could believe. Without Origin…well, Origin is the creator of this world. He's a balancing point for it." Sheena explained to the best of her ability before a loud stomping silenced the two women.

"NO! No more of this! It's my wedding day! We'll have only happiness!" Raine exclaimed, turning around to glare at the two, both of whom were slowly backing away. "I am nervous enough without needing to worry about the world ending, and dammit if this world knows what is good for it, any apocalyptic event WILL wait until I'm happily married to Yuan. On. Pain. Of. Death!" Raine finished, her left eye twitching dangerously. Despite the fact that she looked like an angel in her outfit, everyone knew that this was still Raine Sage. Crossing her is like crossing the King of Meltokio, each and every summon spirit, and death itself. "I'm getting married today, and for the love of Mana, NOTHING is stopping that!"

A few moments of silence lingered before Sheena and Presea excused themselves to get changed into their bridal gowns. All alone, Raine took a deep breath and looked at the mirror in front of her. She truly did look like a real woman for once. She was without a shred of scientist today, and in a way it made her feel naked. Slowly, her thoughts turned to a picture that rested on the rim of the mirror, one that they had gotten under the Linkite Tree. She remembered it fondly, Zelos had gotten his hand on one of Yuan's precious items, this being a camera that held the promise of taking the best pictures, or at least that was what Zelos promised. When both had demanded proof of said promise, all Zelos could do was point to Genis and say 'When he's older.'

Turning her mind back to the photo Zelos took, her lips wavered and slipped from smile to nothing. There was Genis smiling as widely as possible and herself just beside him. She remembered Zelos demanding she kneel down and hug him for the photo. Said it'd be good for when Genis is a big grown up "pain in the ass." There they were. Genis smiling like an idiot and herself kneeling at his side with her arms wrapped around him. It made them look like a real family. A tear threatened to stroll down her meticulously made-up face, hanging at the corner of her eye in waiting. It was the last photo that would ever have the two of them in it…It was that photo that prompted her to have Zelos marry her to Yuan. Because he wouldn't let up on that one stance, Raine had a piece of the past she could always smile upon or cry upon.

"Genis…" Raine whimpered as gave the pleasant memories a chance to resonate within her. Rubbing the picture gently, Raine sighed. A flash of the blackness that had invaded her tent moments ago came and past, leaving her shaking. "Please watch over me Genis…keep me safe." From little brother to guardian angel, she still saw Genis as one of, if not the single, most important people in her life.

_**------ One Hour Later ------**_

If Zelos was the master of obtaining the proper threads for a wedding, then Regal was definitely his equal in supplying the venue. The Linkite Tree, which no one had really expected to be the stage of the wedding, was decorated in a most amazing fashion. If Zelos provided the amazing, royalty like garbs, Regal provided the amazing, kingly like stage. The alter stood underneath a large ornate archway that bore the handiwork of a master dwarf, simple lines curved and stretched to form ornate patterns along the archway. The large marble floor was marked within the center with a sapphire podium lined in a white that seemed to dim all the other whites around the area, paling only in comparison to the dress the bride would wear as she walked down to the altar to get married. A long, golden trimmed carpet of ruby stretched past the end of the chairs and towards a large tent. Large masses of seats were on the left and right of the carpet, and along the perimeter of the seats and the tree were sleek lengths of silk in silver and gold hues wrapping around and creating a gentle ring that surrounded and embellished the wedding grounds.

The seats were filled with key members of the Renegades on one side, and members of Iselia on the other. At the front of the right series of seats were the elder and mayor of Exire, and a rather confused looking Virginia nursing the same doll that she did on Exire. It had been Raine herself that asked her to come, sporting the reason of "you remind me of someone unbelievably important to me". With the elder assisting to convince her, Virginia agreed to go. At Virginia's request the Elder had left someone behind to let Kloitz know when he got home where they were, not seeking to argue points. On the other side sat a large number of renegades without their armor or helmets of any kind. It surprised everyone aside from Yuan when they saw humans and elves amidst the mostly half-elf company.

"We weren't going to be racist in choosing who'd fight to save the world." He had explained. It was good enough for everyone.

Near the center of the front row of Renegades was a large video screen of sorts that had Kratos' sitting on the other end of it. Even when in a giant floating world millions of miles away, Kratos wouldn't miss his best friend's and closest comrades wedding. Standing in front of the podium was Zelos, dressed up and looking like a clergyman of royal status. He wore a custom tailored robe that seemed to take a lot of its inspiration from the former pope's robe, with white arms and a gold sash that covered the main robe of red and violet with a pair of white gloves to complete the image. His red and wild mane had been tamed and now was tied into a pony tail that stretched down is back. He wore on his head a headpiece that had to belong to the highest level of clergy. To be honest, Zelos looked nothing like Zelos. To the left of tha Alter was Lloyd in his suit and a high ranked member of the Renegades also in a formal suit, notably human. Just beside the left of the podium was Yuan himself, doing his absolute best not to look like the nervous head case he felt like.

On the right were Sheena and Presea in the velvet bridal gowns, both of whom smiling warmly and excitedly. Presea, as Lloyd could note, was excited visibly. She was desperately holding onto control of herself and keeping from overreacting. Sheena, on the other hand, was smiling at one moment, then passing warning glances to Zelos whenever she could feel his gaze slowly descending to places it should not be. Bishop or not, Sheena would beat the crap out of him if he tried anything lecherous on this day. Yet within she knew that Zelos would never do something like that to Raine. No one would, for either fear of their life or for eternal respect for the woman that kept her head on straight at all times.

Finally, laughter and conversation died down, and Zelos took a final breath, glancing at Yuan. He was sure Lloyd felt it already, but he could tell Yuan was panicky. Panicky and elated, judging by the way he stared off into the distance. "Ladies and Gentlemen of all three races of the world...please hold your tongues now." Zelos spoke gently, resting his hands on the podium in front of him. As if on cue, beautiful music began to fill the clearing and everyone slowly shifted their gazes and heads to the tent at the end of the carpet, with one of the Renegades beside the small screen lifting it up and twisting it towards the tent. Slowly, Yuan leaned back to Lloyd.

"If I try to run, slice my Achilles tendon." Yuan whispered. Lloyd could nod only once before his head shifted back to the walkway.

First out was Regal, in a suit that looked like it might have been worn by the King himself. Regal had garbed himself in his high class duke garb, and as one might very well note by now he wore it without handcuffs. In his right hand was a white glove that rest softly on its palm. For a brief moment, everything froze around Yuan, and he suddenly felt that final opportunity to fly away as fast as possible come and slap him across the face before leaving. Finally, following Regal out of the tent at the end of the carpet was Raine. Everyone stared in delight at the beauty, but Yuan stood apart from the rest. People around him noticed it clearly enough, but Yuan had stopped even breathing at that point except for when he absolutely needed to.

Yuan felt the nervousness, the fear, the paranoia and mind made threats, the borderline coldness, and the tentative insanity, all of the negativity from the moment the day began, all of it fade away. Before, there was everything that could possibly go even slightly wrong, and now there was nothing besides the woman that walked down the carpet in front of his eyes. Even with her face veiled behind the thin layers of silver cloth lightly masking away her face at the time, he was still transfixed on Raine. In that pristine white gown she had gone from the teacher/scientist image to that of unmatched grace and immeasurable beauty. Just seeing his wife to be making her way towards the altar was more than enough to remind him why he was there. Even when Regal and Raine had reached the alter, and Regal had positioned himself within the groomsmen, Yuan was still focused only on Raine and Raine alone.

The second their blue eyes met, the rest of the world died to them. For Raine, all there was there was Yuan. For Yuan, all there was there was Raine. Nothing else mattered at that point. Absolutely nothing at all. Even the thin silver veil that split their view could not hinder the moment at all.

"Welcome, one and all, to this hallowed event." Zelos finally spoke, nigh unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "We are gathered here today to witness the bonding of Yuan and Raine Sage in the holiest of matrimonies. Today, on this most perfect of days and underneath the Linkite tree that stands before us, we shall all of us bear witness to the union of these two together."

The rest of the Zelos' speech faded away as Yuan and Raine watched one another. For the first time in either's relationship they could see the underlying after touch of nervousness that had once lingered. The thought of what they were about to embark upon in life twisted everything around, brought the moment their lives changed and melded together back to focus. The day they met in that alleyway and the day that they saw one another in a different light.

In the beginning, Raine had seen Yuan as nothing more than a cold hearted leader who cared more for a goal than any living being's life. Even when they found his ring and she found out that Yuan had once been in deep love with Martel, Yuan had been more unforgiving about it than revealing, seeming colder than anything. When Botta had died in the service of "Lord Yuan" and he had not even spared a twitch for the fallen hero, she felt like driving her staff into his face until he stopped moving. How one could just shrug off the death of a loyal comrade like it was nothing enraged her. Nothing about Yuan was respectable to her, not until he hurled her bottle of "fine wine" across the alley and practically kidnapped her over a year ago. At that moment, Yuan went from the cold leader to something warm and there, as if he would never disappear.

To him, Raine had always been thought first and nothing more. He rarely saw her so much as blink concernedly for anyone when they had sparingly met. When she spoke, even in defense of another, it sounded like she was defending just another person and nothing more. The way she treated her little brother almost appalled him at times, and even he felt like telling her off in the most righteous of manners. It wasn't until he saw her completely defenseless and broken that he realized she was always wearing a mask. Something to cover up any weakness that might be exploited, so that she could be depended upon by those around her as something that would never fail. To him, she went from that cold and heartless to someone stronger than anyone he had ever known. Where one might see coldness, he saw strength. And underneath it all, he began to understand her.

Some would say they were meant for each other, that the redline of fate was tied to each of them. Others would say it would never last, that they would repulse each other eventually. Yet at that moment, if either of the two ever had doubts, that gaze then and there evaporated it. All there was in the other's eyes was love. Unkempt, unhampered and unaltered love.

"Now then!" Zelos exclaimed, drawing the reality back to the two. Even after it all returned, neither moved their gaze from the others. "Speak your vows to one another and allow the words to seal the two of you together."

Yuan began first, nearly fighting to get his lips to finally move. "I, Yuan, vow to love you from now until the end of life as it is known and then beyond that. I vow to stand beside you no matter what might come, and when that does come, to stay by your side. I vow that I will hold you tightly when you need to know that this is real, and to whisper assurance to you when you need it most, no matter how empty it may all feel. Most of all, I vow that I will never disappear from your life. I will never abandon you or fail you from this moment until to the end of time." Yuan spoke. There was not a twitch in his voice nor a mask in how he spoke it, this was Yuan speaking purely from the soul.

Gently he turned to take the ring that had taken Lloyd, Dirk, Altessa and himself more time to craft that he believed possible, and had crafted perfectly. Soothingly he lifted Raine's left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, his smile as warm to Raine as the feel of his hands closing down around her hand when he finished placing the ring.

"This ring is of Zircon. It is the most difficult of all materials to craft, but it lasts far longer than all others." Yuan spoke, lifting his glance from his hands to her face. "Just as will my love for you." Removing his hands, Raine gazed upon the ring longingly, for the first time locking her eyes with something other than Yuan. It bore a jewel of a translucent blue, with a small circle of a flawless clear jewel. Blinking away tears that threatened to dash her face. From behind the veil, Raine could only smile deeper and deeper before glancing back up at Yuan. "Its gemstone is an emerald, the only one existing with a color that matches your eyes." Thankfully, at least Raine was, Yuan could not see her eyes watering then and there. A slow breath was the next sound that was heard before Raine began"

"I, Raine Sage, vow that the love I have for you will never dim and as that it shall remain until death takes me. I vow to hold that love even when death has come and claimed me, forever more. I vow that there will never be a time where I am not there for you. Through pristine serenity and hellish fire shall I stay with you and face all that might come. I vow that I will hold faith in you relentlessly, and to stay faithful forever more. Most of all, I vow that I will not now, nor ever, break this bond of trust and flee. I'll walk with you down life's path until the end of it comes, and never shall I walk away from you as we walk down that path. From now until the end of all existence." Raine spoke clearly, her voice remaining solid and constant. To everyone around her though, she sounded different from what they had known of her. It took but a second for one and all to realize that the person to speak was Raine clearly and truly. She wasn't masking her voice in anyway shape or form. She had spoken with her soul's form and her heart's voice.

Turning to the side, she took her ring and gently picked up Yuan's left hand, allowing her fingers to brush the surface of the hand ever so lightly. In her hand was the last remnant of the father she barely even knew. She received it the day they first came to Exire, from the elder. He had told her to keep the box closed until the day she found someone special to her in ways she would never comprehend. She knew the moment that he proposed that that person was Yuan. Inside the box had been a dazzling ring that gently sparkled when in contact with light, and perched on the top of the ring itself was a translucent crystal that held a velvet outer hue with a gentle sea blue tint transition towards the center.

"This ring is made of mithrill. It's a material that can be molded only once before it is solid and inalterable for the rest of eternity. It signifies my love for you Yuan." Raine spoke, a little less contained then before. As he had done before him, she slid the ring gently onto his finger before closing both of her hands around his. Her eyes lifted from her hands to rest on Yuan's, soaking in the glorious gaze that resonated from behind his blue eyes. "The gemstone is a tourmaline, a crystal that represents an unbreakable foundation of love and stability. If anything, let that always remind you of the degree of my love that is yours and yours alone." Slowly, she removed hands from his and let her soon to be husband gaze upon the ring. His eyes lowered to the ring that rest on his hand, and for a moment there was nothing. A moment later, yet only to those who knew him well enough, Yuan was holding back a tear of his own with desperate force. From behind Raine, Sheena whipped a tear from her eye as she watched on, with Presea wearing a smile that seemed to wipe tears away for her. Once again, the lovers' eyes locked with one another, content to rest there for eternity.

It took Zelos a moment himself before he could find it in him to continue. Blinking only once, Zelos once again began to speak. "You have each bore ears to the other's vows. Now…" Zelos turned his eyes from the lovers to the crowd before them. "These two have announced the vows they swear to one another. Among us today, is there one among you who does not wish to see these two wed? If not, speak now or hold your peace forever more." Zelos spoke, his words and tone serene and calculated. Yet everyone who knew the man could sense the underlying tone that declared a painful and never ending death for the person who would dare think to speak.

When no when spoke a single word, Zelos smiled and continued without missing a beat. "With that through, I ask you now. Do you, Yuan, accept the vows that Raine Sage has pledged to you and the love she has confessed for you, to hold and to cherish until death do you part?"

Not a moment of hesitation was found in Yuan's voice. "I do."

With that, Zelos turned his gaze to Raine. "Do you, Raine Sage, accept the vows that Yuan has pledged to you and the love he has confessed for you, to hold and to cherish until death do you part?"

There was not even a blink of a pause in Raine's voice. "I do."

"Then, in front of the eyes of family and friends, underneath the Linkite tree before us on this day of pristine tranquility and somber serenity. By the right of the former Chosen of Tethe'alla and the power granted by such a title…" Not a soul could mistake the rising excitement in Zelos' voice, and even without hearing his voice, one could see his excitement growing just on his face. "…it is with the highest level of elation that I hereby do declare you Yuan, and you Raine Sage, husband and wife. Yuan, you may kiss the bride." Zelos finished, barely containing himself from yelling out the final line.

Yuan lifted his hands to each side of the veil that blocked his lips from Raine's, and lifted the sheets of cloth with tender care. Placing his right hand softly on her right cheek, Yuan equally as tenderly wrapped his left hand around the back of his new wife and sealed their lips together in front of the crowd. Like a reflex, Raine's arms wrapped around the upper back of Yuan as his lips locked tightly with hers. Within a half moment's pause, the entire crowd shot to their feet and erupted into a roar of cheers and clapping that could have well been heard across the planet. For longer than any of the crowd could have anticipated and far shorter than either of the newlyweds had wanted it they kissed, breaking it ever so leisurely. With there faces no more than a breath's thickness apart did they linger, gazing into one another's eyes. To the two lovers the crowd's cheering died around them, even when the crowd in question was still screaming and cheering for the couple.

"I love you Raine. I truly love you." Yuan whispered.

"And I love you Yuan. Truly, I love you." Raine whispered back.

Still entangled in their own exclusive silence, serene music that could only come from a hundred ocarinas filled the air around them and drew them back to reality. The cheering had died down with the first few notes of the music, and now everyone was searching for the maker of such a lovely melody. Everything remained silent aside from the beautiful music that came from seemingly nowhere at all. While everyone was looking for the source of the music, it was Yuan and Raine first that turned towards the true source of the serenade. Smiles on both their faces and still firmly wrapped in the other's arms, they watched the Linkite tree play them a song that could only come from the heart and soul of a devoted being fill the clearing and massage the masses. Turning back to his face, Raine smiled into the cheek of the man she just married.

"Looks like Martel approves too." Raine whispered gently into Yuan's ear. Slowly, he turned to face Raine again, a smile on his face as well.

"I always knew she would."

**_---------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_**Some say it began with tragedy  
Others say it began with elation  
However it began, no one could see how it ended.  
No one expected it to end the way it did.**_

_**However it was said to begin, one thing and one thing alone was certain.**_

_**This was only the beginning.**_

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **_

A/N: Welcome to the opening to Tales of Twilight, the Insaneiac's vision of the perfect sequel to Tales of Symphonia. It took a bit of convincing for me to go ahead with this story, having it linger in idea phase until I finally discussed it with a fellow author, not to mention an amazing one at that. Her name is Spiritua Masquerade. I thanked her in the beginning of this, but it is true that I owe her a lot of credit towards making this possible. I really couldn't have done a lot of this without her. Specifically the rings for the wedding, the location, and some of the lines used in the wedding were her ideas…once again, I am incredibly grateful for the help she has given me.

Now then, to make this far more interesting than just another story, I'm leaving pairings blank. Note, I did not say out of the story, only blank. Yuan and Raine are the only truly set pairing in this story, as you could all more than less likely tell from the opening chapter. Aside from any incest pairing, and Lloyd and Colette…this is where the story gets even more interesting. I want you, the reader, to tell me what pairings you want to see. Think long and hard, and don't worry. I'll be letting you know when the chance to put your influence in here is over and done with, but lemme know what you all want. Aside from the ones I stated above, all pairings are open. Any you can possibly think of and I mean ANY. This way, I hopefully can make this an enjoyable reading experience for all who want to read. Peace!


	2. Chapter 2: Pushing the Sky

**Insaneiac: And now, ladies and gentlemen, the second chapter of this little shindig. Sit back, relax, and feel funky. Oh, and get ready for the first in quite a few shockers.**

**ALSO: Make sure you all thank Spiritua Masquerade profusely. Not only could this have not existed without some much needed assistance from her, but she is also my number 1 beta reader for this story! Show some love people.**

**Spiritua: Dude. I squirmed in happiness a bit when you sent this and I saw I was mentioned. And thank YOU for sharing this wonderfully awesome cool Tales-tastic story with humble readers such as myself. :D**

Disclaimer: As of now, this is the Official Disclaimer for the entire story. I do not own any of the Tales of Symphonia franchise or its name. That is all owned by NAMCO and NAMCO Tales Studio. I own the plot, and a few characters, but that's it.

* * *

Chapter 2: Pushing the Sky

* * *

"Okay people, come on! This is so not complicated! Two single file lines to each side of Lloyd, and keep it two to a Rheaird! Let's go people!" Zelos shouted at the top of his lungs, hands cupped around the sides of his mouth as he shouted. Just to his rear, Regal and the Renegade that had stood up at the front with Lloyd and Regal, a human by the name of Zeb, each had a large box to their side. In the boxes were many, many wingpacks. In the wingpacks were Rheairds, as the yelling formed chosen had already alluded to. Each Rheaird already had a preset flight path that would take them straight the obnoxiously large and ornately decorated ceremonial hall in Meltokio, compliments of Zelos Wilder, Regal Bryant, and the very King himself. A lot of arms had been twisted to make sure everything went together right, and a lot of favors called in to get it all prepared. Nevertheless, it was coming to together in a succinct fashion. Albeit one that resulted in much yelling from Zelos.

Lloyd was in charge of keeping the large group of people in two lines and was none to happy about it. Not because of the task of constantly saying the words 'two even lines' over and over again, and not because of Zelos' incredible vocal capabilities. Most of it fell upon the blonde half-elf child that was trying to get comfortable as he sat on Lloyd's shoulder with an elbow planted firmly onto the top of Lloyd's head. He rested his chin on the open palm of said hand, sighing miserably as Lloyd took to his task, and Lloyd couldn't help but grin at the fact that he was miserable. He reserved himself to maintain an aura of sanity for the most point, allowing Mithos to do as he would at that point, but even Lloyd Irving had a limit, and the mental reincarnation of the little hell spawn was beginning to find that limit. Of course, the fact that Mithos' elbow dug into his head rather painfully didn't make it any easier.

"Two even lines!" Lloyd called again, as the last two people finally entered the line. Sighing, he turned to Zelos to make sure the ex-Chosen had everything under control, and at the sign of a nod, threw his hand up in a wave and mouthed the words 'seeya in Meltokio' before walking towards where the wedding had just taken place and revealing his wings. With a collection of 'ooh's and 'ahh's from the people watching, Lloyd took off towards the city, east of the Linkite Tree. He really did not need to be at the city before everyone else, and he really would not have had much of a reason too, but Lloyd wanted to put some distance in-between himself and the guests, just incase he did finally snap at Mithos. Of one thing Lloyd was certain, an outburst at an invisible Mithos would surely not sit well with everyone there, and doubly so the Renegades.

Zelos, now content that Regal and Zeb could handle dishing out Rheairds, turned his attention elsewhere. He was still in his priests robe, having been unable to change before they started getting the guests moving. He did, however, have the large and uncomfortable hat off and he could not have been happier for it. He really wanted to find a priest that wore the thing all the time and ask them how the hell they did it. Shrugging the thought from his mind, Zelos marched towards threesome that was Sheena, Presea and Raine, all the while with a major smile on his face. Getting all stealth like, the womanizer turned into a silent force as he approached the Mizuhoan ninja, stretching his arms out as he prepared to go in for the kill.

"Zelos, you try it and I'll make certain you're carried out!" Sheena growled, breaking from what she had just been saying to wave a fist in the idiot's general direction. "And you _know_ that I will!"

"Aww…you're no fun when you're being a banshee…" Zelos moped, dropping out of his previous stance and marching in beside Sheena. Despite her incomprehensible ability to forever sense where he was coming from, Zelos still wore a grin on his face. "You'll slip up one day though!"

"Maybe I will…" Sheena began, resting a hand on her hip. "…but definitely not near you, pervert-boy." She very quickly added. Zelos adopted a hurt aura about him when he heard this, putting his hands on his hips and sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.

"You two will never change, will you?" Raine interjected, staring at the two with speculative eyes. "I'll see ruins melt away before I see you two stop acting like this."

"I dunno about that my gorgeous intellectual beauty. Eventually, all my hunnies come around." Zelos egotistically replied, crying out in pain when he felt a foot come crashing down onto his. The ex-Chosen once again took up defense in his hurt look as he turned to Sheena.

"I am not, nor will I ever be one of your hunnies!" Sheena hissed, walking off. Slowly standing back up, Zelos sighed.

"You're despicable, Zelos…" Presea spoke while sparing Zelos an accusing gaze.

"You'll understand when you're older, my precious little rosebud." Seconds later, his other foot soon met with a crushing blow, and right after that another high pitched squeal of pain filled the air. Sighing, Presea began to walk away, her cheeks a slight tint of crimson. "She's taken quite nicely to her emotions, hasn't she…" Zelos muttered bitterly and rhetorically, nursing his second injured foot.

"It might help if you're not trying to hit on everything with a pair of legs and breasts, Zelos." Raine lectured, spying an odd look on Zelos' face. Giving her head a gentle shake, Raine glanced back at Yuan, who was talking with a pair of Renegades. "This has been a really wonderful day."

"And it'll be an amazing night as well! We've got a huge reception to go to, with dancing and speeches and all the fun stuff that weddings are all about!"

Raine tilted her head back to Zelos, a half glare on her features. "I'm certain weddings are about the bonding of two who love one another Zelos. Not dancing and speeches." A dismissive wave from the redhead only helped to nurture the glare.

"To each their own." Zelos spoke before digging into his pocket and extracting a wingpack. "Here you go. One decked out and utterly high class Rheaird for the happily married couple." Zelos spoke with gusto.

"I've got that covered already." A voice spoke from behind Zelos. Twisting around sharply, Zelos came face to face with Yuan, who had snuck around while Zelos was talking to Raine. Much to the ex-Chosen's displeasure, he had secured his trademark cloak around his ornate outfit.

"What is it with you and capes already?" Zelos mumbled, slipping the wingpack back into his pocket. Shrugging once, he turned to Yuan and nodded. "Well, if that's the case, I'll go see if one of my hunnies needs a lift."

"I doubt that, the last pair just took off." Yuan remarked, pointing a thumb towards the purple Rheaird that was lifting off as they spoke. Zelos frowned, then pouted when he saw that it carried both Sheena and Presea as it darted away. "Look's like you're flying solo."

A long sigh escaped Zelos' lips before his head slumped downwards in defeat. "Can't a playa get some love in here?" The redhead whimpered before he began walking off. "Well, that just means I'll have to work doubly hard at the party!"

He had said more, but by that point he had been tuned out by the only remaining couple on the ground. Holding out his hand to Raine, Yuan slid an inviting smile onto his features as he locked eyes with Raine. A warm smile in return and a gloved right hand gripping his was all the answer the seraph needed. With a soft pull, Yuan wrapped an arm around Raine's back and another around her legs, lifting her off the ground completely and securing her body firmly in his arms. Pausing only a moment to exchange a tender kiss, he summoned forth his light maroon crystalline wings, the glow of the wings emerging engulfing him from the rear and giving him a momentary colored aura. Flapping his wings twice just to make sure that everything still felt right, he turned his attention back to the woman he held in his arms and smiled.

"You're such a show off." Raine spoke with a teasingly condescending tone.

"We can always walk to Meltokio, if that's what you want." Yuan replied with his left eyebrow raised questionably. Raine responded by bringing a gloved hand to the right side of his face and stroking it gently.

"Not unless you want to be appointed the task of collecting all the things I deem important from every single ruin on the face of the planet." Raine shot back, patting the cheek once more before letting her hand drop back to rest on her torso. A content feeling ran through her body as she decided to chalk this up as a win on her end.

"Feh, give me a year and I'll have a sure fire counter for your ruin-mode." Yuan remarked, before his wings began to steadily flap. With a momentary squat, he pushed off the ground and effortless took off into the air, his wings beating against the air steadily. "Or…hell. Maybe I'll just lock you in a room when you go into that state." A borderline evil grin worked itself onto Yuan's face as he contemplated the second suggestion, suddenly aware of the half horrified, half threatening face that his wife was wearing.

"You're threatening to lock your wife up in a room on our wedding day…Have you been around Lloyd too much?"

A few moments of silence passed, before Yuan finally spoke again. "…Ouch. That was low."

_**------ Over Iselia ------**_

"Oh come on Lloyd. Say something. You're so catatonic right now that it's like being near Kratos again." Mithos quipped as he sat securely on Lloyd's lower back, legs crossed, with his hands resting on his ankles. He had been spending the better part of ten minutes trying to get Lloyd to react to anything, and failing miserably. Most of the time, he did it to try and snake Lloyd into a conversation, one that usually ended with either Lloyd being proved completely wrong or Lloyd trying to take a swing at Mithos. This time, however, Mithos was doing it purely for the enjoyment of it all. He was more like a little kid that Lloyd could have possibly begun to believe, yet whenever Lloyd allowed himself to think that, Mithos would always surprise Lloyd by illuminating faults that he had and how he could shed them. Most of them usually wound up with either a throwback to lifeless beings, or some derivation of a plot for Lloyd to govern the world with the power of the Eternal Sword. Neither of which agreed with the brunette's views on the world.

"Lloyd…stop being so damn silent. I did like you promised, I didn't tell Yuan that I thought he was a traitor and lowlife scum that abandons family. You _owe_ me for that one!" Mithos continued, pushing down on his ankles as he waited for Lloyd to speak. "Great…one sappy wedding and you turn into Kratos. I'll love to see how you react when those two split up."

"Yuan's a good person. He won't hurt Raine." Lloyd replied confidently, albeit mentally slapping himself for buying into what would inevitably be another Mithos-certified head game. "At least, he won't if he wants to live another four thousands years." Lloyd added, this time his voice a lot less tender.

"A little protective of Miss Sage, are we?" Mithos ventured. Lloyd turned his head back to look at the blond with an unamused glint in his eyes. "Or…is it something a little more than that, hmm?"

"Raine's an irreplaceable friend and someone I respect and, like most people on the planet, fear when scorned. She's the smartest woman on this planet, and completely reliable. If she was hurt by anyone…"

"Are we a bit jealous that Yuan got to her first?"

Lloyd's eyes shot open as Mithos spoke again, this time in a combination of shock and anger. "Shut up." Lloyd had wanted to say something that would have made Zelos blush, but he knew doing as such was just playing into Mithos' game. He had learned well into his new relationship with the former villain that he needed to stay calm when dealing with him, lest he be made a fool and contradict himself.

Mithos smiled at the sound of discontent in Lloyd's voice, and released his hands from his ankles before crossing them at chest level. Inwardly, he was sneaking past the supposed barriers Lloyd had set up in his head to get a look into what he was thinking about. In his digging trip that he had promptly titled 'the hunt for intelligent thought' however, Mithos did find a collection of phrases and words that were directly associated with him, all of them vulgar to the point of excessiveness.

"Aww, isn't that precious. You really think all that about me?" Mithos mocked, patting the back of the brunette's head. Lloyd's hand shot up and grabbed Mithos' wrist tightly, before he threw all his strength into the arm, flipping Mithos off of his back and tossing him towards the watery surface below. Mithos fell for two seconds before his rainbow wings blinked into existence and he shot himself back to towards Lloyd, glaring at him angrily. Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle at the look on the half-elf's face.

"What's the matter? Is the _big, bad Mithos_ scared of some water?"

"Not in the slightest. I just don't like getting tossed about like a bag of bricks."

"Then go away and leave me alone. It's win-win." Lloyd negotiated, before suddenly stopping his flight when Mithos stopped himself just in front of Lloyd. It wasn't soon enough, and the brunette went crashing into the blond and, much to his annoyance, was pushed off unceremoniously. Lloyd was considerably unamused and the glare he loosed on Mithos was indicative of such. Despite himself, Mithos could only smile in a mocking fashion at the glare he was receiving.

"I can't do that to you Lloyd. Not until I help you see just how wrong you are and guide you to the right path. We've been over this how many times? You need me here." Mithos replied, his voice soft on Lloyd's ears. Mithos Yggdrasill was a master of many things, and among them was wordplay. He would twist and turn ones words into a chain that would bind for eternity. Even more frightening, however, was how pure his words felt. As Mithos, he spoke with a childlike purity to him that soften the words he spoke and gentled the ideas he conveyed. It made it deathly easy to sympathize with the half-elf, which was something that proved to be worse than a fatal wound. Of course, his words had lost their potency when he had slipped into a grief induced insanity that was only magnified by his desperation to have his sister back.

But, like the old proverb went, death healed all wounds and cured all illnesses. Something Lloyd was still in the act of learning fully.

"Oh? And what makes your way right and my way wrong, Mithos?"

"You think that this world would prosper in peace. Lloyd, tell me. What do you hear when we walk the streets of Meltokio? What can you hear even within the confines of Iselia? Everywhere we go Lloyd we can hear it." Mithos counter spoke with careful tone.

Lloyd knew exactly what he was talking about. He knew it the moment Mithos even started. He could hear the voices talking wherever he traveled to. All of them. Some would spread the good will he had preached about with Zelos from town to town. More, however, showed otherwise. Humans scheming to kill half-elves, near silent whispers of half-elf slave trades, half-elves crying in fear at what could happen next to them. Needless to say, Lloyd was slowly losing that unshakeable faith in the world changing.

"So what. Nothing is instantaneous. All it needs is some work and some patience. Meltokio wasn't built in a day." Lloyd defended, albeit it not as strongly as he would have had it.

"Strange…I believe those were my exact words four thousand years ago…and all that cost me was the only person who could truly understand me." Mithos retorted, his head shifting downwards. "Well, outside of you that is." And with that, Mithos blinked out of existence, gone back to wherever it was he went when he wasn't trying to snap Lloyd Irving. A few moments floating there was all it took before Lloyd through his hands out into the air.

"Well…what the hell do you want from me?" Lloyd asked, pausing for a few moments before he felt his anger start to boil. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" He screamed. He listened closely for a response from the blond, but nothing came. Growling, Lloyd took back to flying to Meltokio before the guests got there before him. He still had a speech to give about Yuan and Raine, and he had spent far too long on it to let one blond little annoyance screw that up.

On an isolated island below, a green robed man turned to his partner, a man garbed in navy blue. The two both wore masks of an odd nature. The green one had a white mask that acted like a clock, with an hour hand and a minute hand and all twelve hours on it. The blue one had a mask that pulsed white and yellow every so many moments, and neither bore eye or mouth slots. The green one turned to the blue, and nodded once, before four large feathered wings of cloud white hue immerged on his back. He took off towards the old resting ground of the Tower of Salvation. The blue one looked back at the retreating figure of Lloyd, though nothing could be read by his posture alone.

"Fly, my foolish angel. You will be mine soon enough." The man uttered emotionlessly, just seconds before a grey fog engulfed him. When the fog had parted from the island, so had he.

_**------ Derris-Kharlan ------**_

Kratos sighed as the video screen turned off, separating himself from the world of Symphonia as he called it. Yes, he knew that Meltokio's King and Palmacosta's government had both decided on the name Aselia, which as far as he could understand, meant symphony in some ancient language. He was sure that Raine was absolutely excited at the announcement of the world's name, but he could not care less. Shrugging away his pointless opinion of the planet's name, and back to how he had felt. He just watched an on-again off-again friend and comrade of more than four thousand years get married to one of the most beautiful, intelligent and, provided she is set on something, unfathomably stubborn women he had known. Couple together a perfect and completely uncharacteristically vulgar-free service by Zelos, and a surprise serenade by what had to have been Martel herself, the wedding was something Kratos promised himself to remember for the rest of his days. Which at this point still seemed numberless.

"Hmm…I wonder if Yuan knows just how much trouble he's in." Kratos mused, a smirk fixed upon his face. He had to wonder which would crumble to the other first. The strategic and cunning Renegade-Leader-mode Yuan or the intense and unshakable Ruin-mode Raine. Both were to be feared and respected, and inevitably both would collide in a battle of epic proportions. Again, the thought brought a smirk to his face.

"Lord Aurion!" A voice called from behind him. As the seraph turned to face the angel commander behind him, he put on his leader face. "There is something strange happening within Welgaia."

"Define strange, Raziel." Kratos spoke stoically. Raziel was one of his section commanders in Derris-Kharlan, and was most responsible for the technical aspects of Welgaia. He dressed like a normal angel commander, but in place of a magical staff he had a large crescent-blade pole-arm weapon, which was currently compacted to look like nothing more than a slightly longer than normal battle rod fastened to his waist, and his helmet was more of a combat band that wrapped around his forehead and covered the back of his head, allowing his grey hair to go without hinderance. Even still, he kept his hair short and spiked. As well, he wore a pair of steel gauntlets with the angelic emblem on his right hand and another on his left. His left one though was a red sword and a blue sword crossing with blades point up, and a large purple blade that intersected the cross point of the two swords, this blade pointing down. The second symbol was known simply as the Irving Emblem. One did not need to wonder as to why.

"Yes, Lord Aurion. We have received strange readings from the various machines within the central computer control. Most of them seem nothing more than minor discrepancies, but a few are troubling." Raziel continued, before pulling a few papers from his robe and handing them to Kratos. "These, however, are not glitches."

Kratos spared a brief look at Raziel before looking at the papers. It was written in all kinds of languages, none of them human of elven. "What is this saying, Raziel?"

"It says the same thing over and over again, Lord Aurion. 'The Sovereign cometh to purify thine sacred holy body and to being anew from immaculate white.' We are baffled as to what it might mean."

Kratos spared another glance at the sheets of paper before glancing back to Raziel, an incredulous look worn tightly upon his face. "Our machines said this?"

"And our best scholars under Moebius could only translate it. Nothing exists of this Sovereign in the archives as far as we can tell."

Kratos sighed in aggravation, rubbing his forehead with his palms. "Well, go over it again. I'd rather like to find some-" Kratos began, before he noticed that Raziel was no longer in front of him. Blinking, Kratos shifted his sights to scope his quarters and found no sign of the commander. Shaking his head, the seraph soon realized that he was no longer holding any papers in his hand, nor were there even any papers in the room to begin with. Without so much as a breath, Kratos reached over and grabbed his sword, fastening it to his waist before stepping out of the door and into the long hallway that connected his room with the center of Welgaia. However, as soon as he opened the door, the room and hall disappeared and the man found himself standing in Welgaia's center. Further more, the center was completely empty, not an angel in sight.

"What is going on…?" Kratos murmured, twisting his head around and looking all over the place. One moment ago he had been talking to Raziel, the next he was gone, and then shortly after that he was standing in an abandoned Welgaia. Kratos Aurion was thoroughly confused and utterly lost at this point, and the constant snapping of fingers was doing nothing to help him in his confusion.

A light went on in Kratos' head, and he quickly turned to find the source of the snapping fingers, right hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "Come out now!" Just as sure as he said the words, the snapping stopped. A mere heartbeat later they began again, this time from behind Kratos. Growling now, Kratos spun to his rear and withdrew his blade, a silver broadsword with angelic writing covering the blade. Pointing it at the source of the sound, Kratos yelled anew. "I said come out here, now!"

"And from the ether, a voice shall speak to soothe the peaceful into a slumber of chaotic dreams and distorted realities." A woman's voice reverberated, engulfing the entire area. Kratos blinked once as the voice spoke before trying to place where it came from. "A vision of eternity can cloud minds and devour souls, yet within that vision is a serenity that purifies all." As Kratos listened to the words around him, he could actually feel the words flowing to a single spot from his rear. With a sharp turn Kratos was facing a long hallway he had never seen before, and standing in the center of that hallway was a woman with her back to him. "An eternity of chaos…cured by her song. And so, from the ether, I shall bring forth that chaos, so that her voice might purify the world after and bring us to a new age of prosperity. Hence, I am known to this world as the Testament of Chaos." With the final words once again echoing throughout the entire city, the woman turned around to face Kratos, revealing her full form to him.

She wore what looked like slave's garb, nothing more than a plain, sleeveless tunic of grey and a pair of fairly ragged olive-hued slacks that were cut off just a bit after the knees, looking more like a pair of shorts than pants. Upon her feet she bore no shoes, and nothing covered her hands or exposed neck. Along her arms, legs and neck however were ever shifting lines of color and words that never make sense, all of them flowing into the mask she wore upon her face. Long brown hair hung from her head peacefully, trailing to her back and reaching down to the small of her spine. Oddly enough, the last quarter of her hair shifted in color almost instantaneously from brown to deep velvet. Then there was her mask, the true centerpiece to the Testament. Her mask covered her entire face with no clear strap to keep it fastened in place, and was of plain white. Yet all over the mask were eyes of various shades and sizes that opened and closed at random on the mask, almost never appearing in the same spot twice.

But what truly captured Kratos' eyes was the pendant she wore around her neck. A pendant exactly like the one he owned and treasured like a sacred artifact. Kratos knew only of two that existed in the world of that specific design, and one of them was buried in a grave beside a dwarf's house.

"Who…are you and why do you have that pendant?" Kratos questioned, his grip tightening on his sword. "Answer me, intruder!" He added forcefully to empower his position as best he could.

"Intruder I am truly not. This is ours to begin with, and her wills deems that it shall fall back to its home. Lower your sword, dear sir, so I might bring her will to the desperate." The woman spoke, the lack of a clear mouth hole on the mask doing nothing at all to hinder the voice. That was when Kratos faltered the most. He could feel his hand losing his grip on the sword before it tightened again, this time out of desperation. There was only one person to ever cross Kratos' path in those long four thousand years with a voice like that.

"Who-… who are you to steal that voice?"

"Is it too long to remember me? Has memories of me been flushed from your mind, dear Kratos? Is twenty one years as long as it takes to purge memories of bliss and happiness?" The woman spoke again, tilting her masked head to the side.

Growling, Kratos sliced the sword through the air before thrusting it in the direction of Chaos. "NO! Do not **DARE** to pretend to be her! Cease your lies and disguises and be gone now!" Kratos yelled furiously, whilst his eyes burned with rage.

"Dear Kratos…no." She spoke again, the final word sounding like a hammer slamming down upon an anvil, before dashing towards the swordsman. Kratos was quick to bring his sword back into a striking position, and quickly swung it at the fast approaching opponent…only to watch as it went through air and missed Chaos completely, without the latter actually having moved at all. There was no time left for Kratos before the woman struck back, leaping the last distance and driving her knee into the right side of Kratos' head. As soon as the blow connected, Kratos felt two more rack the exact same spot, sending a groan through his lips as he collapsed to the side. Before Kratos could touch ground, a foot connected with his left ribs, and another two concurrent blows followed, shattering bone. A choked gargle of pain escaped the swordsman lips before his right arm was grabbed and his body was wrenched from the ground. The pulling motion brought Kratos airborne to a slight degree, leaving his stomach and chest completely open for a barrage of punches that systematically shattered each rib in his body before he was launched away with a single leaping sidekick, tossing the seraph across the city and into a nearby wall, cracks rippling through it at the impact.

Kratos coughed once in agony, blood ejecting itself from his lips and onto the ground in front of him. Pain racked his body wrathfully and without hesitation or end. He suddenly began to regret ever attaching the newer keycrest to his personal being, allowing him to retain his angelic senses and powers but also retain his ability to feel and sleep while eliminating the need to feed himself. Another growl of pain escaped his lips as he tried to even move before he glanced back at the figure. From what he could see, she hadn't even moved from the spot she had first stood at. Another cough full of blood emerged from his mouth and painted the floor in front of him before he could find it in him to even speak.

"…Are you…" Kratos could only mutter, before the woman was no more than two inches from his downed being. A pair of hands rested on Kratos' cheeks, rubbing them tenderly, soothingly as all the eyes on the mask opened up at one, glaring down at Kratos from no more than a breath's distance.

"Rest. Allow me to bring this child back to his mother and unveil the stage upon which she will sing the final song of this world." Chaos uttered as she cared to Kratos' features. Removing her hands, Chaos began to walk back towards the center of the city, slowly, the world around them rippling and reverberating with each footstep until it shattered like a dome of glass. Suddenly, Kratos was assaulted by hands of his angelic forces as they rushed to see what was wrong with their leader. Slowly Kratos' head began to slump to the side, but his eyes never left the masked woman that legions upon legions of angels ignored without even a blink in her direction. He watched her raise her hands into the air and summon forth black clouds of energy to surround them. Without turning her head back to Kratos, her voice suddenly dominated the many angels that were trying to help Kratos, reaching his ears without hinderance.

"Let us meet again Kratos…upon the Lance of Symphony…and we can listen to that song together." Chaos uttered when her clouds of mana had faded away. With a final pair of finger snaps, Chaos disappeared, leaving Kratos quickly fading to blackness.

Extending a hand to the figure as she faded away, a tear fought its way down Kratos' face. "…no…Anna…" Were the final words out of his mouth before he succumbed to unconsciousness, his hand dropping back to his side. The last thing he remember seeing was one of the monitors that reflected the outside of Derris-Kharlan, where he saw Symphonia fast approaching them. The last thing he heard was enough to scare even him as he descended to darkness.

"We're going to crash…WE'RE GOING TO CR-"

* * *

A/N: Ooh, cliff hanger. A little bit of love to start us off and now look what happens.

In regards to the "You choose the pairing" feature of this story, a few explanations and new rules are in order. At this point, this current vote is for the second main pairing of the story, of which after we decide that I'll be having the third main pairing vote. Once we get those two voted out, I'll be holding votes of shorter time for our characters that are not paired up. You still have complete control over that. It is just segmented so everything goes together nicely. As well, starting with this chapter, all votes must be submitted through reviews. I cannot take any over pm or msn conversations or the like now because it makes it harder to keep track of. Just so you are all aware of that now. At this time, round one is currently standing at this for votes:

Zelos/Presea: 3  
Sheena/Zelos: 2  
Sheena/Lloyd: 2  
Presea/Lloyd: 2  
Colette/Genis: 2  
Regal/Kratos: 1  
Mithos/Lloyd: 1  
Regal/Sylph: 1  
Undine/Lloyd: 1  
Dirk/Altessa: 1

This round will end in a couple of chapters, so make sure to get your votes in…by REVIEW only. Don't mean to be a tight butt about it, but I need to be actively able to keep track of the votes. Peace


	3. Chapter 3: The Testaments

**Insaneiac: Sorry BTS fans, it'll have to wait just a little bit longer. I'm with writers block on the epic right now and writing it is beginning to bring out bad feelings. So I will update Twilight now, and let you all see the handy dandy cast of villains in this one. Also, heads up voters. You've one more chapter after this before pairing number one (Other than Yuan/Raine) is decided.**

**Spiritua Masquerade: Sheelos, everyone. :D Nah, go ahead and pick what you want. Either way, this story is waaaay better than I could ever do. Even though the first time I read the first part of this chapter, it confused the bajeezus out of me. That just goes to show how simple my mind is, I guess. :D Anyways, read, review, enjoy! I know I will.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own this game, Namco does. The characters belong to them…well most of them anyways._

_

* * *

_Chapter Three: The Testaments

* * *

"So then…all went as it should."

The room was, for the most part, a blackness of eternal depth. Watching it from the outside could very well make one sick, as even though it was pure blackness, it swirled and twisted like a mass of creatures. In the very center of the dome of darkness was a pale light that seemed to fill an impossible amount of space with its cold light. Around the light, just along what is a wall of infinite blackness stood eight masked figures. They stood in a very lightly spaced circle except for one gap that seemed large enough to fit another figure. To the right of the gap was the one that had uttered the words, a figure whose form is of pure black that flickered and twisted off his figure. Lifting his head up to the rest of the figures, the completely cloaked face turned to the man figure beside him. His shadowed eyes met nothing more than a half nod from the masked man to his left and past the gap. Turning back his head to the central light that floated above them, the black one raised his hand towards the light and flicked his fingers at it. The light created a globe in the center of the group that was exactly that of Aselia, albeit slowly shifting and changing as it hovered there.

"Then Kharlan has fused with Aselia once more. The Tree is at its fullest health…and soon the Lance will pierce into the sky."

"Of course it will, Death. As it has every other time." A new voice spoke. Faces turned to the speaker, a man wearing a mask that flashed yellow and white before seemingly turning invisible again. Of course, when the mask turned invisible, so did everything behind it. It was unsettling to say the least. He wore what seemed to be tinted blue and studded leather around his upper torso, just cutting off passed his shoulders. His arms and for arms were wrapped tightly in belts of storm cloud grey, and his hands were covered by metallic gauntlets with claw like fingertips. Underneath his studded leather was a navy blue and sleeveless cloak that descended to just above his boots. The hood was drawn upon it, covering his hair and fully covering his body from the eyes of his partners. On his back is a long wooden staff with a despicable hook at the end that nearly curves full circle, with a floating red sphere in the center of the hook. The red sphere is attached to the inside of the blade via streams of constant electricity.

"After all, Death, what is this but a repeat? The world has reached its final moments…is that not right, Time?"

"Pain, as usual, states a fact that is already well known by all here. Obviously, dying did not dull your ability to point out the obvious." The figure called Time spoke. The current speaker is a figure garbed in a green cloak that fits loosely to his body. Metal guards cover his forearms and leather gloves with metal plates on the back of them covered his hands. Around his waist and neck were straps of leather that had streams of green cloth descending from them. At the cuff of each arm of the cloak are three streamers of emerald cloth that run to the back of his neck, and down from that point at quite a few more that stretch out past his feet. On the back of his gloves are glowing clocks that continuously count time. Floating closely behind him are twelve double tipped lances, six to the right of his neck, six to the left. Upon his head he wears the ornate head piece that seemed worthy of the highest bishops of churches wore, with a curtain of cloth covering the rest of his head except for his face. On his face is a mask that has the hands of time on them, ever constantly moving to match the flow of time.

"Aren't you precious, Time. Making your snippy little arrogant statements. If I am still pointing out the obvious, you are still the arrogant fool." Pain replied with a curve to his words.

"Children, behave yourselves." A woman spoke.

"Humph…whatever, Blood." Pain responded, waving his hand dismissively.

The woman stood on the opposite end of the dome from Death. The one called Blood was garbed in a noble sleeveless dress of a pale hue of red with white trim that covered her from the neck down. On the center of the dress was a large patch of gentle blue, with a snow white rose in the center of it. On closer inspection, the rose appeared to be bleeding from its petals. She wore a cape of blood red around her neck that seemed to be attached to her, with a half cloak of dark red with silver lines running from the neck to the edges covering her upper body just above the bleeding rose. On her hands, all the way to just past her elbows, she wore leather gloves of half red and half white, splitting colors as they ran up the arms. With the hood on her half cloak drawn so as to cover her head, her mask was a full face masquerade style mask of white with streams of ever flowing red pouring from the hollowed in eyes. The actual eye holes had no eyes filling them, and seemed to just go on forever into the mask. Although retracted, on her wrists were guards that housed her curved blades.

"Be good little children for Death and Destruction…after all, so much must still be done. We have to find the voice, body and wings."

"The ether speaks and beckons, yet nothing new revealed. I hear her voice pleading to us with only the commands of events past. Yet within the sad song of this world is no news of our patron saint." Chaos spoke, standing to the right of Blood. "So many voices, so many commands, so little guidance."

"Don't cry, Chaos." A deeper, sympathetic voice spoke from the immediate left of Pain and the right of Death.

The male that spoke was something akin to what people call the "Black Knight." A true testament to the legacy of iron clad warriors of demonic design. He towered over all the rest of the Testaments, even Death. His armor is of black hue and heavily plated, dark blue trim around every plate. His gauntlets have curved spikes that trail up to his elbows, and from the neck of his helmet he has a half circle of black cloth that covers his upper back. The plates of armor that adorn his shoulders extend only slightly out at the end, and have pulsing red symbols of an axe and a sword. His helmet is something out of mythology, with eight twisted horns curving in towards the face of the helm from the sides of the helmet, four on each side. Two eye slots are all that exist in so far as openings, and within them are white eyes that pierce the soul. On his back was a sword with a blade that stretched well over seven feet in length. Lines of pulsing violet and navy blue were scattered from the hilt of the blade down to its massive forked tip.

"I see even War is caring." Pain quipped, flinching as the helmeted head focused on him. Pain waited as War crossed his arms in front of him. The two stared at each other for only a few seconds before Pain made a motion with his hands and conceded defeat.

"You just have no sense of heart, Pain. Nothing nice makes sense to you because you are such a little man." A teenaged female voice spoke to the right of Time. "After all, you're Pain. You don't know what happiness is."

The collective turned to look at the new speaker, and although she was still average human size, she was the smallest one of the group. She a dress that was of maroon, with four silver buttons in the center of it and two bronze lines ran down from its neck to the waist, just the same as it did on her back. Her sleeves were dark blue in hue and cut off just above the elbows. Her forearms were wrapped in strips of deep red cloth that dangled off at the sides. Like most of the others, she wore a pair of gloves as well, these being simple dark blue gloves. From the waist down she wears deep blue slacks that, while not skin tight, do not look loose in the slightest. She wears a half cloak, only covering the upper section of her upper body with no cape to cover her back and with a hood that is drawn over her head. Her mask is the mask of tragedy, with a deep frown worn upon it and a single blue tear drop at the corner of the left eye, the eyes themselves looking depressed and sorrow filled. Gripped tightly in her hands is a long spear with a blade in the shape of an open hand.

"Ah, Sorrow, so you can speak. I guess one truly does learn something new every day." Pain quipped, his mask flashing into existence once before turning invisible again.

"Enough!" The final voice spoke, drawing all attention to him. It was the figure to the right of Sorrow, and the figure to the left of the gap. He is adorned in a brilliant, endlessly white vest that looks thin and thick at the same time, betraying all to it. On the vest are silver symbols and letters in numerous languages that shift in and out of focus, confusing those who fight him. Even though they blend within his vest in a camouflage nature, every letter is capable of being seen. His long, sticklike arms are wrapped meticulously in bandages of pure white, with black lines that travel down the length of each bandage, forming weird symbols and letters in multiple languages that form a series of sentences stating unknown things. A pair of traditional warrior slacks adorned his lower half, retaining the brilliant white as well as the black letters and symbols from his arms. He wore a cloak of slightly less brilliant white that remained open to show off his size and scholar like stature. Finally, the cloak has its hood drawn at all times, and he wears a mask of plain white with an immaculate black design of an unblinking eye in the center of the mask. On his left hand is a truly offsetting piece to him, contradicting the thinner, scholar like image. A large clawed gauntlet with an opal in the center of the palm and lines of dark red and blue connecting the opal to each finger, wrapping around each individual digit. On the back of the large gauntlet was a marking that, when translated, read out "Sanctusdeleo." Further more, floating around his right arm is a snake like wisp of smoke that curled and twisted about.

"And thus speaks the grand White Testament himself." Time uttered, turning to glance at the white figure. "Destruction."

"Chaos has brought us the grand stage for her to sing upon. For her voice to echo into the heavens. We need to find _her_." Destruction uttered, gripping his left hand tightly. A pulse of energy shook from the gauntlet that everyone there felt. Slowly, Destruction turned his head to Death, their masks meeting each other. "The wings, the body, the voice..._Her_ wings, _Her_ body, and _Her_ voice. The Sovereign needs must be fulfilled."

"Obviously." Death grunted, holding his right arm out to his rear and into the darkness behind him. When he pulled his hand back, he held a long staff with a demonic scythe on one end and a brutal circular axe head on its other, standing as tall as he was himself. Lifting the weapon easily enough, Death pointed the scythe's tip into the globe and stopped it from changing, bringing it zooming in towards what was a now a foreign chunk of land. As it got closer and closer, the image soon became that of an utterly destroyed Meltokio city center, now housing Martel's Temple from the very center of it.

"Brings back memories…" War muttered, bringing a hand to rub it his armored chin. "Do you believe her to be the wings?"

Death said nothing as he glanced at Time and Pain before finally turning his head to face Pain alone. "Pain, find Irving. Kill him. We must keep the Eternal Sword out of this. Make sure you kill both him and Mithos."

"They are the same person, what's the difference?"

"Tenacity is always a problem…and Lloyd will be as hard to kill as a cockroach. Mithos doubly so. Go." Death finished with a commanding closure even though his words and tone stayed somber. With only a nod, Pain took three steps back and faded into the darkness. "War, go to Iselia and Palmacosta and coerce the masses. Bring us an army of followers blinded by grandeur." A nod soon followed, before Death watched War's head turned to Chaos once more, and even behind the mask he could sense a twang of worry escape the black knight. Lifting his head, War stepped backwards into the blackness and disappeared.

"Sorrow, Chaos. Hunt down her wings. Even if she herself is hiding, I have a feeling you can 'pursuade' old comrades of her to help you." Destruction muttered, not bothering to watch as the two disappeared into the blackness. "Time, go with Blood and find Origin. He'll know where the body is, I am sure of it."

"Heh…" Time muttered, glancing at Blood. "Origin is hiding just as profusely as Mana… What makes you think we can find him?"

"Follow the Summoner. Eventually she'll bring him forth or she'll bring you to him." With a pair of nods, both Blood and Time faded into the darkness, leaving the White and Black Testaments to their own.

"I know where you are going already, Death."

"Oh? Is that so, Destructi-"

A disgusted growl escaped Destruction as Death spoke, and the white cloaked man walked away from him. "I told you, I detest that name when it is only you and I." Destruction muttered before ceasing his walk. With a turn of his masked face so that he was glancing at Death, Destruction waived his gauntlet in the air, charging a white globe within it before closing his fist tightly and dispelling the energy around him. "You and I, Death…we are closer than the rest. We are closer both to the Sovereign and to each other."

"Well, Toltus…if that is what you want then so be it."

"Are you telling me you actually like having everyone call you Death? That's no name you fool, it's a title. A big one, but all the same. Tell me, Death. You know my name, why not give me yours?"

Death said nothing in reply. All he did was stand and stare at Destruction, at Toltus. Every word he said was spoken like it was silk. The delivery soft and subtle but the meaning never missing. "Why? What point is there to you knowing who I am…who I was?"

"Because loneliness is ugly. Because everyone could use friends and family…and because even though we are dead, we are still connected to our past selves."

"I have neither. I _want _neither!" Death replied, slicing the scythe through the translucent globe in front of him. The image waved about furiously for a few seconds before coming together once more.

"Well, then let me be something else to you, Death. After all, we have the task of reviving this world. We must do this task together, hand in hand. After all, without you or I, the Sovereign has no hands of which to change the world with." Toltus continued, turning around and striding towards the Black Testament. Raising his right hand, he rested it on the shoulder of Death, and even behind the mask there was a smile to be felt. "Let me at least be something to you."

Slowly, the black garbed hand gripped Toltus' wrist and lifted the hand off his shoulder, limply tossing it to the side. "A name then." Death spoke, pausing for a moment as though to remember his name.

"It took me a bit to remember myself. If you need the ti-"

"Kloitz. Kloitz Sage is my name." Death replied, slow and calculated but not hesitant. Even from behind the mask, the one called Kloitz felt a frown grow on Toltus' face. "And is that not good enough for you, Toltus?"

"You remind me of him…back when he would call me friend." Kloitz paused and even half tilted his head in confusion. Even before he could say anything, Toltus patted the left side of Kloitz cloaked and masked face with his right hand before walking past him and towards the darkness. "It means nothing now. I assume you will be going to Martel's Temple then…for her voice."

"And what about you, Toltus LaFillick?" Kloitz responded dryly, not bother to glance at the figure as he approached the shadows. "Where are you to?"

Toltus paused at the edge for a moment, sliding his hand into the inky blackness and swirling it about before pulling it out and glancing at his hand. "To…see an old friend…and bury the hatchet." With that, Toltus LaFillick, the White Testament of Destruction, slid into the blackness and faded away, and the one called Death was left alone within the cold light that shone in the middle of the abyss. Raising his free hand up to the light, he slowly began to suffocate its life as he closed his hand around it, bringing the blackness upon himself.

"Kloitz…I never thought I'd ever use that name…" Closing his left hand tightly and extinguishing the life from the fire completely, Death sighed once more. "It matters not. What truly matters is bringing the Sovereign to us. For that, I need no one and no thing…only this power."

_**------ ??? ------**_

A sharp breath and a roar of pain came hand in hand as Kratos shot out of his bed and into reality again. Almost instantly the door was swung open to reveal Raziel, albeit without his high angelic attire, and a pair of other angels in considerably normal attire as well. All eyes were upon the Seraph and his eyes were swapping between Raziel and the two others. Tension as thick as bricks filled the room as the two parties kept their eyes on the other before Raziel finally stepped forward and sat down in the chair beside Kratos' bed. Glancing towards the remaining two angels, Raziel whisked them away with a motion from his hand. Soon the only bodies in the room were himself and Kratos. Growling in pain, Kratos laid back down on the bed and gently explored his ribs with his hand. There were ribs there now, but every thing he could do or even think hurt him quite a bit.

"What…the hell…happened?" Kratos muttered slowly. Mentally, he noted that talking hurt too.

"Derris-Kharlan crashed into Aselia. The impact killed and scattered over ninety seven percent of the population of Derris-Kharlan. I could only find a small portion of our men, and Moebius… Well… Moebius is dead. I held him as he passed away. Our best scholars and mages kept you just barely alive Lord Kratos…though it was lucky we found you to begin with."

"Derris-Kharlan is a floating world of raw mana. An impact like that would have-"

"Lord Kratos…the world is suffering from it. The sheer force of the impact has cause the Great Tree of Life to erupt from its seedling state and into a massive pillar of power…and that is where most of what was once Derris-Kharlan is. Circling and seemingly protecting the full grown tree. But that is not all. The impact scattered the entire planet and rearranged it, pushing it all together and unto the opposite side of the world of the Tree. Of course, plenty of the land was drawn towards the tree to create a massive field surrounding it from every angle."

"How…how do you know this?"

"Some of Derris-Kharlan was still littered here. Including a barely functional system that controlled the world view camera system. We accessed our world view long enough to print a map out before it died completely. As I have said, the world has been completely rearranged." Raziel spoke, ruffling through his overcoat and handing a flat electronic pad to Kratos. Cringing in pain as he took it, Kratos lifted the pad up and glared at it. Pressing a few buttons revealed everything that had been said to be true. A large chunk of land was far away from the rest of the world, and in the center was a fuzzy area of grey. Pressing an arrow button on the pad he saw that, much like had been said, the rest of the world was now one single chunk of land. In the very center of it was something that made no sense. Meltokio. And in the center of Meltokio was the Martel Temple.

"This…is…"

"I have a nice list of words complied already, Lord Kratos. And odd is one of the lower ranking ones. To make it better, we are currently in Triet, whose desert is a neighbor now to the ruined Tower of Mana."

"She called herself the Testament of Chaos." Kratos quickly cut off, handing the machine back to Raziel. When he let go of the machine he heard it hit the ground with a dull thud and nothing more. Slowly, Kratos turned to look at Raziel only to see that Raziel was looking at both confused and scared.

"Testament? Moebius said something about that before dying. He said…there were eight Testaments. Four of death, four of destruction. Then he repeated the verse that was translated twice more just before he died." Raziel slowly replayed, rubbing his gray hair that was now freed from his combat band, in deep thought. "I never understood what he meant, and frankly I still don't." Kratos closed his eyes for a moment to try and put two and two together. He was well aware that his actual armor to his outfit had been removed and he himself was left in his skin tight under armor. He still had his Cruxis Crystal on however, and could feel it. The biggest part was that it felt different to him. It had felt foreign now. However, very loosely, whether by the helping hand of an outsider or by a sheer case connect the dots, Kratos' mind wandered to his son. The Eternal Swordsman Lloyd Irving, and quite possibly the single most powerful being on the face of the planet. The next thing he saw was a bloodied and beaten Lloyd being cradled in Mithos' arms, and a masked figure standing further off from him gripping a staff wrapped in lightning. His eyes opened at record speeds, yet the image was still there.

"Raziel…" Kratos began, slightly unsettled.

"What is it, Lord Kratos?"

"Bring me my armor and weapon, and let me heal myself. When you've done all that, find a working system or anything that can track across the planet and find my son…now." Kratos spoke with a deadly calm about him. A quick nod was all it took for Raziel to go about doing what Kratos requested. Kratos breathed in slowly for a moment, allowing the mana to work its way to his fingertips. Rolling up a sheet into a ball like format, Kratos slipped it into his mouth before slapping his hands down on the damaged ribs. He screamed bloody murder into the sheets before he could remember to unleash the mana back into him. Moments later the pain faded away entirely and Kratos could feel only discomfort to remind him of his ordeal. Lifting his hand up, Kratos looking into the crystal and frowned. It had changed considerably in color.

It took him only a moment before he remembered what he was doing. With only a single glance, Kratos summoned out his wings and let them flap steadily behind him. Instantly he was aware of a slight pain that existed within the points of his body where his wings were.

"So…I can feel pain even in an angelic state…interesting." Sighing once as the flow of energy weakened within him, Kratos faded out his wings. The seraph turned and looking at the nearest window, glancing off at the distance. "Lloyd…whatever happens, just run…"

_**------ ? ------**_

Lying on a shoreline at the edge of the mainland was a red clad warrior, sprawled out and barely conscious. Water slid back and forth beneath him, sweeping under him and further dampening his already waterlogged body. His hair was soaked and hanged about him loosely and all over the sands as well. Another wave splashed down around him, and almost as soon as it finished Lloyd groaned out in pain and lifted up a hand to his surroundings. A pair of hands that were as soft as they were strong latched onto him and began pulling him away from the water. Soon, he could feel himself being half lifted up off the ground and dragged, though to where he couldn't tell. Whether it was shortly after and not, Lloyd felt himself leaning up against a tree and regaining focus on his surroundings. As he did, he lifted his head up from its limply hanging position to come face to face with his guardian angel.

Or in certain cases, evil hell spawn possession fiend. This individual in question, of course, was Mithos, who had taken nicely to sitting just in front of the recovering swordsman with a grin on his face. An innocent looking grin, but undoubtedly twisted in nature to Lloyd.

"And now, Lloyd, you owe me. Big time." Mithos quipped.

"Like…hell I do." Lloyd muttered slowly. "What the hell happened?"

"Your dad proved he couldn't fly a planet, Lloyd. That'd be what. Hey…just a thought, but wouldn't he kind of be _our_ dad now?" Mithos replied, first annoyed and then back to his innocent façade.

"No." Lloyd said flatly with a coupled stare that was just as flat. "Sheena said she can do those…exorcism thingies. Maybe that'll work on getting rid of you."

"I saved your life and that is all the thanks I get? A possible eviction notice, huh? As far as I am concerned Lloyd, you owe me now, and I think due payment is a free place of residence." Mithos replied, before his eyes shot up towards the forest that was resting just behind Lloyd. "Now that is impossible." This time, the rather playful voice that belong to the four millennia old half-elf was completely gone

"What, something here is scarier than you?" Lloyd cracked, pushing up to his feet. Mere heartbeats later, Mithos tackled Lloyd as hard as he could and just barely knocking him out of the way before lighting evaporated the tree that he had just been resting against. Not bothering to say anything, Lloyd and Mithos pushed quickly to their feet and glared at where the tree had been; now only left with a smoking and burning stump. Standing firmly on the aforementioned tree stump was a main in blue with a bladed staff held tightly in his hands.

"I should like to think I am far scarier than any voice in your head, Irving." The figure spoke with a vicious snarl. Holding up his left hand into the air and pointing the staff towards Lloyd with his other, energy began to engulf his body. "I am called the Testament of Pain. And you, Lloyd Irving…need to die!"

* * *

A/N: The end. Here are the current pairing and the number of votes they have. 

Sheena/Lloyd: 6  
Undine/Lloyd: 6  
Zelos/Presea: 4  
Colette/Genis: 4  
Mithos/Lloyd: 4  
Sheena/Zelos: 3  
Presea/Lloyd: 3  
Regal/Kratos: 2  
Kratos/Sheena: 2  
Regal/Sylph: 1  
Dirk/Altessa: 1

Thanks for all the voting you guys have done so far. The next chapter is the beginning of a chase. For what you ask? You'll just need to sit pretty and wait. Hope you liked our happy little cast of antagonists.


	4. Chapter 4: Waking Up

**Insaneiac: Okay, so a long awaited Tales of Twilight update for you fans out there! This is also the last chapter where I will be tallying votes for the second pairing. After that we start votes on the third pairing. Right now, it is a brutal battle between Sheena/Lloyd and Undine/Lloyd. Will our stealthy summoner win Lloyd, or will the summon spirit earn her a swordsman? Of course, Mithos is lurking just behind the two of them in the polls, so who knows? It's a battle for the Eternal Swordsman between the Rose of Mizuho, the Summon Spirit of Water, and the Former Eternal Swordsman. Ring the bell!**

**Spiritua: Mwahaha, this is awesome. Show mercy on Insaneiac's creativity, don't make this a Sheelloyd. :P Anyways… Read and review this, you know he deserves it!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Waking Up

* * *

"GARGH!" Lloyd screamed as his body careened into another tree with a shuddering impact. Electrical energy discharged out around him and dissipated into the tree he was now molded against. Leaves descended all around him as he lifted his head up to try and find the weird masked attacker. With another grunt of agony, Lloyd heaved himself back up on his feet, using the tree as a guide so as to avoid tumbling to the ground. Lloyd was trying to fight a cloaked mage with a bladed staff with nothing more than his hands and a spiffy suit. His Material Blades were resting nicely in Iselia and even though he could summon the Eternal Sword, he could only ever do so when he had his aforementioned weapons. He had next to nothing in so far as knowledge to his angelic powers, and when it came to hand to hand combat, Lloyd was no Regal Bryant or Sheena Fujibayashi. 

"Lloyd, summon the Eternal Sword already, dammit!" Mithos yelled as he appeared at his side.

"I told you already…" Lloyd managed to choke out over the pain and fear inside him. "I don't…know…HOW!" He yelped as a finish, turning to glare at Mithos. "I can't without my weapons. In case you haven't noticed, Mithos, I have NO WEAPONS!"

"That explains why this is so easy then." The voice called from behind them. Lloyd quickly spun around to face the speaker and felt a metal gauntlet grasp the side of his face and slam his head into the tree with brutal force. Lightning discharged through the gauntlet and into Lloyd's head, drawing a scream of pain from the swordsman. He felt the lightning stop after what had to have been an eternity, only to feel himself spun around in the air and have his back slammed against the same tree he had just made painful contact with beforehand. A crack that sounded vaguely like a roar of a dragon drowned out all other sounds as Lloyd's body went through the large tree, bark and wooden fragments exploding out around him whilst he hovered slightly in the air. Lloyd let a bark of pain out as his body crumpled against the floor of the forest and went into a twisting roll against the ground. He stop rather abruptly as he felt another tree slam into his back with another set of cracks that filled the air around him. A cry of pain escaped his lips as he felt bones shatter, but he stifled it through sheer force of will.

"Lloyd, don't you know anything! Can't you **_do_** anything? You're like me dammit, use you powers!" Mithos coached, shaking Lloyd as he lay prone upon the ground. Lloyd simply coughed up a rather unhealthy portion of blood in response, drawing forth a rather horrified look onto Mithos' face. "Lloyd…get up!" Mithos shouted as he shook the boy harder. A slam erupted from behind him as the tree crashed ruthlessly into the ground and filled the forest with its death cry.

"Oh…trembling in fear are we, Lloyd? I'm touched." Pain taunted as he slowly approached the shaking swordsman. Extending his right hand out, his bladed staff slowly formed in his hand and let a discharge of electricity fill the air around him. "Oh but I am far from finished with you boy. When I am done…mind the clichéd statement if you will, but I will have you pleading for death!" Pain continued before driving his foot into Lloyd's ribs and crushing him against the tree. Mithos didn't even move as he watched Pain viciously assault Lloyd further, turning his glare upon the blue robed demon and adopting the glare that he wore when the final battle began. A glare that was a complete mixture of fury and madness brought upon those who would attack his closest circle of individuals, be it friends or family.

A hand slammed into Lloyd's chest and implanted him into the tree, his body indented into the massive wooden trunk. Slowly, Lloyd lifted his head to glare at Pain, only to get a hand pressing his head into the tree, fingers digging into his skin and discharging electricity into his body. Lloyd initially began to yell in pain before his voice cracked and then nothing came out. Pulling his hand back, Pain shortly after drove the bladed staff into the side of Lloyd's body. Another scream of pain escaped Lloyd before a massive discharge of electricity erupted through him. Lloyd's frame went rigid as he tried to scream in pain, only to have his voice silenced by the blinding sensations of pain that were devouring his mind. His limbs smacked against the tree as the electricity pouring into his frame fought to get out at the same time, discharging through whatever readily available opening there was.

Finally, Pain pushed the staff into Lloyd a little deeper and let a large orb of electricity explode into the swordsman. The force shot Lloyd through the tree again, this time flying through the air and into another tree. He felt more things shatter in his body before he collapsed onto the ground face first. The last remnants of the lightning inside of him shot out and into the ground through the bleeding openings along his body. He could feel himself slowly becoming immersed in some liquid, and when his vision cleared up enough to see, he found himself lying in a pool of his own blood. He tried desperately to sort out what just happened in his mind, but all it kept doing was screaming in pain and leaving Lloyd helpless and nearly dead. He heard feet running to his and then his body being pushed over onto his back. When he saw worried blue eyes looking into his brown ones, he wasn't sure who it was he was seeing. Again, the forest filled with another tree's final crash as it met with the ground in an instant-long dance.

"Alright, Lloyd. I'm not going to lose another family member here." Mithos vowed furiously, although his voice sounded more worried and slightly chaotic. Seconds later, a hand shot into his chest and prompted Lloyd's eyes to shoot open. There was no pain, but it felt far more uncomfortable than painful to begin with. Moments later, he felt himself getting hurled across a short distance and onto the ground around him. When his body landed, he felt as tired and heavy as his body did before, but without all of the pain and agony. Furthermore, he noticed he was in his traditional red garb and, much to his elation, carrying his two sheathed swords that made up the Material Blades.

Lloyd glanced at Mithos as if to say thank you when he saw the half-elf lying on the ground in a pool of blood. "Wait…what the." Lloyd mumbled. His eyes darted around Mithos' body and saw that he was just as damaged as the swordsman himself was from before, with cuts along his body and wounds matching his. Lloyd took three steps towards the half-elf before turning his attention to the path he had came from. He saw Pain marching towards Mithos slowly, the bladed staff in hand.

Pain spotted Lloyd lying on the ground in blood and gave a rumbling chortle. He found himself surprised and suddenly stalled when he saw Lloyd's body suddenly become engulfed in a faint aura of mixing colors. The wounds that Pain had inflicted began to heal and close up, and the blood that was pooling around him began to slip back into his body. Raising his left and right hands, Lloyd slammed them into the ground and pushed to his feet as though he had just awoke from a nap, looking as refreshed and ready as he did before Pain had begun to pick him apart. Pain began again towards him just as Lloyd slowly turned around to face Pain with eyes still shut tightly yet maintaining an odd sort of serenity, of innocence.

Pain stopped in mid stride when he watched Lloyd turn around, moving with a presence that was completely unlike his own. All the damaged he had caused was gone and if Lloyd was at all tired, then he was not showing so much as a sign of it. As his eyes finally opened, Pain watched as they shifted from the chocolate brown of normal to a sapphire blue that pushed the Testament backwards. Even as the mask flashed in an out of existence, the swordsman could feel Pain's hesitation turned to surprise. The tension in the air snapped like a whip against flesh, drawing invisible blood from the world around them. Finally, Lloyd's mouth opened and Lloyd's voice was reborn into the world with a tone that betrayed who it belonged to.

"…Disappear."

_**------ A Clearing ------**_

The newest member of the Sage family, Yuan, slowly pushed up off the ground and gathered himself into a sitting position as he felt the slumber give way to grogginess and confusion. One second he had been soaring through the air with his beloved wife in his arms, and the next he was taking a nap in the middle of a clearing atop a hill. While the scenery was quite nice, and while he himself was appreciative of the nature that encompassed him, he had much more to worry about then enjoying the view. As he looked up at the sky, he could see portions of blue dotting about the gray clouds, with the sun poking in through the holes and illuminating small portions of the grassy landscape. Despite being somewhat out-of-it, he could hear birds chirping in the distance and the wind rustling around him, a chill swirling about his frame as the moving air swept past him, lifting his cape into a hurried dance. Lifting his head up to gaze at the sky, he summoned forth his wings and beat them against the air once, making sure they still existed. Even after he was sure that his wings existed, he kept them flapping lightly so as to clear his mind of all but the steady rhythmic beating.

His mind opened up to the world at large and, for a moment, he felt clarity. The wings faded back into his being as he allowed himself a brief moment of serenity. A rare feeling for any being, but he held onto it just long enough to reassemble his fragmented mind and put his thoughts into a nicely filed order. Soon, he began to retrace the last few moments before his impromptu naptime.

That was when he suddenly lost clarity and began swinging his head around the field. His eyes scanned the hill fiercely, sweeping it like one of his base's radars did the land about it. When that failed, the momentary calmness gave way for something a whole world more dangerous, especially when everything went wrong as it had already. Fear.

"Raine…" Yuan ventured softly, turning around to look at the field behind him. "Raine!" He yelled a little louder, frowning at the lack of control he had over his voice. Of course, at that point, he could have cared less about the perceived image of himself. "**Raine!!**" The half-elf shouted with an underlying tone of desperation, cupping his hands to his mouth as he yelled out for her again. The only sound in response was his blue cape whipping against the air at his back. **"RAINE!!!!" **He called as loudly as he could, straining his voice to its limit and nearly cracking it. Even with his voice strained to the breaking point, he shouted out her name again, whipping his eyes across his surroundings, scanning for her. He wanted to continue to yell out to her, incase she was nearby, but his brain soon kicked back in and he began to reevaluate the usefulness of haplessly screaming into the world. He was a planner, and times like these did not call for fearful shouting but careful plots of well devised strategy.

Kind of hard to do when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and in a suit meant to dazzle onlookers and not fight battles in. Fighting in his current uniform would be as smart as fighting without a weapon, with the tighter and less flexible threading complicating even the simplest of dodges. Yuan was many things, a scientist and a fighter among them. He knew enough that these clothes would hinder him. Sighing to him, Yuan reached into the back pocked of his dress pants, and pull out a short rod that looked no bigger than half a broom handle. Running his hand along the metallic rod, Yuan found and pressed down on an impression on it. Seconds later the rod began to extend outwards at the ends and form into deadly-looking dual bladed weapon that had become as infamous as he himself had. The weapon was his loved and feared double sword, the Swallow.

"Okay…now then." Yuan muttered, as he blinked his velvet wings back into existence. He leapt off the ground and into the air and soared into the cloud covered sky, wary of the foreboding clouds that hovered above him. Glancing around, he instantly noticed that the world beneath him didn't look the way it should. While it wasn't based on an intuitive knowledge of each planet based around his over four thousand year long lifespan, it was based on the very solid evidence that his Flanoir base had been relocated, with a large portion of said country, into the middle of a mountainous circle. Further more, to the left of his base was a completely devastated Asgard, smoke and fire lighting it up. Glaring at the town once, he knew that it was too late to do them any good. Most had escaped by that time. Whether that meant they fled in a nick of time or escaped the danger by dying themselves was up to public opinion. Turning to face the Renegade base, Yuan began flying towards it. In there he would find proper attire and his wife.

One way or another.

_**------ The Forest ------**_

. "Ugh…this suit is disgusting." Lloyd mumbled disdainfully, ignoring Pain suddenly and completely. Closing his eyes again, Lloyd allowed the energy to swirl around him before the clothes he was wearing changed in color and shape to a white and silver version of his traditional battle garb, though still without swords. Opting out of the head band in this case, Lloyd checked his frame slowly, as if judging his appearance, before smiling and nodding.

"Forgetting someone, Lloyd?" Pain called ominously as his mask flashed in and out of existence, reflecting the rage that was building within the Testament. However, despite the angry statement, blue eyes flashed back up to the robed assailant and sent him stumbling back a step without any necessary action.

His eyes as round as they had ever been, Lloyd —the real Lloyd— watched as Mithos interacted with the blue robed assailant with a very confused look fixated on his face. "HEY! Wait…I'm Lloyd! Oi… Pain!" Lloyd called out, walking towards the Testament. When he found himself ignored, Lloyd grew a little angrier. For whatever reason, he had somehow managed to find Mithos' ghost and fixated his attention on it rather than his original target. "PAIN! Stop ignoring me dammit!" Lloyd yelled again before as he began to feel somewhat dejected. Sure, now it meant he wasn't getting dissected by a borderline insane assailant with a love for all things electrical, but he still felt like he was being ignored. Slapping his hands down on the hilts of his swords, Lloyd decided that if he was going to be ignored all of a sudden, then he would make Pain regret it. At last, Lloyd dashed ahead and went into a full on tackle. He leapt at the last moment as his body made contact with Pain…and then went through Pain and into the tree he was standing beside. Lloyd bounced off it rather ungracefully, though the impact created not a single shake or as much as a gentle rustle of noise.

"Wait…" Lloyd began, before looking at Mithos carefully. "He is where I was…and now Pain can see him, so…" Lloyd tried to piece things together, gripping his head in confusion. "What the hell is going on?" The swordsman demanded helplessly as he watched the scene. A brief pause occurred when Lloyd's eyes met Mithos', and he could hear a familiar, yet strangely soothing voice in his head telling him to relax and rest. Despite the fact that the one person capable of destroying the worlds with a thought was in complete control of his body, he could feel a relaxing wave come over him. Like things were going to get better, fast.

Slowly, the white clad Lloyd turned to face Pain, his eyes flashed ominously. In response, Pain took a step backwards before growling. "This isn't fair! You're just supposed to be something haunting that idiot! You're not even supposed to exist anymore! You're supposed to be dead, Mithos!"

"You tried to kill someone close to me…" The one we'll call Mithoyd muttered darkly as he ignored Pain, his face slipping from his half innocent appeal to something a whole lot less innocent, something almost deranged. "You tried to take away more of my family." Slowly, the possessed Lloyd lifted his white gloved hand to Pain and opened it up towards him, so that his palm was pointing towards the Testament. "So…you need to go away." His voice was void of emotion. Mere moments later, a massive ray of white-blue light erupted from his hand and towards Pain, evaporating everything in its path. Pain was quick in jumping to the side, but even the edges of the attack ripped at him and tried to devour him. As soon as he landed, Pain leapt forward at an alarming speed, slamming the staff down towards Mithoyd's head.

The white-clad Lloyd raised both his hands above him and closed his right hand partially just as Pain was coming towards him, and suddenly the bladed staff stopped in the middle. Lifting his head to glare at Pain viciously, he spared a smile as he watched the Testament hover just in front of his face. A pair of ripples shot through the air at the impact point of the staff as purple light began to materialize at the center point. As if something was being recreated after it was destroyed, the light began to form and create a blade of pulsing and flowing purple material. Even from behind the flashing mask, now blinking in and out of existence rapidly, the feeling of fear could be felt from the Testament.

"As I already told you once, Pain…**DISAPPEAR**!" Mithoyd shouted as the Eternal Sword formed completely in his hands. Pain shot backwards from the sword, landing on his feet some distance away from his foe as he shook with both rage and fear.

"You shouldn't even be able to wield that." Pain growled, unknowingly in tandem with a very stunned Lloyd Irving. The white-clad Lloyd turned his eyes from Pain to the invisible Lloyd. His eyes softened considerably as they connected with the actual owner of the body, which had a soothing effect on the swordsman. This bewildered Lloyd even more than the usual flashbacks into the crazy land known as Mithos' life. As soon as his eyes left the swordsman's, they hardened again and viciously so.

"The right refers to the body that holds the sword, not the mind that drives the body. As Lloyd is the Eternal Swordsman, in his body so am I." Mithoyd replied as he pulled the pulsing purple blade upwards and dashed forward. "And unlike Lloyd…I know how to **USE THIS POWER!"** The wielder of the Eternal Sword roared at Pain, just as Pain loosed two rays of electricity towards the charging swordsman, only to watch him phase out of existence. Seconds later he felt a wave of pain ripple along his back. With a growl, Pain whipped his head around and found Mithoyd with the large sword held out to the left.

"You'll find that cutting me draws no blood, Mithos." Pain taunted, until he saw the dots of light forming around Mithoyd. Pulling the legendary blade backwards, he pushed out with all his might and slammed it into Pain's back and sent him flying into the air. Moments later, he sliced the air from left to right, sending a wave of purple energy slamming into the back of the Testament and sending him careening into a tree with as vicious a thud as could be. Slowly positioning the Eternal Blade so it was held out to his side, Mithoyd began to march towards Pain as dots of white light began to form around him. However, the truly astonishing sight was the prismatic wings the appeared on his back, beating against the air around him. Not a speck of red was to be seen on the very large pair of crystalline wings, from the purple tips to the yellow base, the colors flowing from one unto the other smoothly.

"I won't let you kill Lloyd, Testament. I won't let you take _him_ away from me as well!" Mithoyd spoke with a near child like innocence, at the same time mixed with a lethal conviction. Bringing all the points of light in front of him, the possessed swordsman extended his left hand so it rested in the center of the balls of white. Soon they all began to spin around his extended hand. "Oh being of immeasurable sin, may the light consume you and purge your evil. Disappear into nothingness…" Mithoyd spoke as the orbs suddenly stopped moving and pulsed simultaneously. "**Judgment!"** The orbs of light shattered the barrier of sound around him as they turned into beams of horizontal radiance, crashing into the ground and trees around Pain. Each impact drew forth an explosive sound that felt almost as painful as the strike itself. A scream of rage came from the blast site as white light filled the area. Lloyd stared in confusion, as every time the attack was used the beams descended upon him. This time however, Mithos was casting it so that it charged into the enemy. The more the swordsman watched, the more he began to look at just what he might be capable of if he could truly garner access to those powers.

Pain slowly pushed to his feet, laughing at the feeling that surrounded him. Even though he had been hit directly and frequently, his body showed no signs of damage or fatigue. Yet he was up to his neck in pain and reveling in it with glee. The real Lloyd watched as he stood up with a fixed gaze. More or less, he was trying to put out what he had heard Mithos say about him, about how he said it. He hated how Mithos always tried to refer to him as a brother or something close, yet now he sounded more serious about it than he had ever heard. To be honest, he sounded like he had been watching Martel die in front of him. Shaking his head furiously, Lloyd tried to get the thought banished from his head.

Pain shot forward with staff drawn back, swinging it at Mithoyd's face vengefully yet found himself blocked. Moments later, the possessed swordsman knocked the staff into the air and brought the Eternal Sword slamming down upon Pain's face, shattering the upper right portion of Pain's mask. As it crumpled against the ground, Mithos' eyes shot open to there very fullest before a hand swiftly shot up to the unveiled face that belonged to Pain. A fierce scream of rage emitted from the Testament as electricity engulfed him whole. Even with the hand hiding his face, both Mithos and Lloyd knew exactly who it was behind the mask. Only one person they knew had eyes that narrow, a face that curved, even if it was only a portion of it, and a forehead with blonde hair curving backwards just at the brim. In between the fingers of his hand, the right eye opened up a crack and glared at Mithos with rage unkempt.

"Kvar…you're alive." Mithoyd muttered in shock. Shock that gave the now revealed Kvar enough time to unleash the field of electricity that was surrounding him. Pointing his hands out to Mithos, the lightning formed into spears of energy that began to shock through him at rapid speeds, drawing a yelp of pain with each blow and rending flesh in its wake. Eventually the energy formed a circular cage around a now kneeling and panting Mithos, the bars of lighting revolving around in him much the same fashion as a series of gyros.

"Oh furious powers of the infinite ones. Silence the world with the ROAR OF THE SKIES!" Kvar called out powerfully, his visible eye shooting open in madness. All around Mithos the energy pulsed white repeatedly until they were a steady shade of white, whilst all the while a furious roaring began to deafen Mithos inside the cage, causing him to scream out in pain himself. Lloyd tried to rush in to help Mithos, but found himself repelled by the energy that encased him. At the last moment, Lloyd watched Mithos wrap his wings around his frame and stab the Eternal Sword into the ground, calling forth as strong a guardian field he could.

"**MYSTIC CAGE!" **Kvar finally screamed, as the energy encasing Mithos erupted like a giant bomb, devouring him within electrical brilliance as it chewed away at his presence. His voice blotted out by the silence that was beckoned by the attack, Mithos could only loose a silent scream of pain as he was ripped apart by a magic unlike anything he had ever experienced. At long last, the light faded from the area and revealed a barely breathing figure in the same position he had been in before he was nearly evaporated. His suit was torn and ripped from the energy and his body was bleeding from various scratches and deep gashes that covered his frame. Blood was illuminated as it rolled down the Eternal Sword as it flowed out of his torn hands. The entire left side of his face was a crimson mask that had only a single orb of blue to set it apart from being completed red, while his wings had faded from his back and left him completely. Mithos felt hands try and pull him up, and he let them pull him from his kneeling position.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd…" Mithos muttered weakly as the actual owner of the body desperately began dragging away the near dead half-elf. Glancing back Pain, the hand fell from the revealed portion of the mask to once again unveil the upper right of Kvar's face to Lloyd and the near death Mithos. The face burned itself into Lloyd's mind, as the rest of his face seemed to not exist due to the mask that would blink in and out of existence. He remembered Kvar not being even slightly stable when he was alive, but now he looked like he was immersed in insanity and reveling ever second of it. His eye was focused on Mithos, drinking in the pain that he was in and craving more. Raising the staff up towards Mithos, who was being dragged by what seemed like thin air, he leashed another wave of electricity. Lloyd's hand shot to the arm that held the Eternal sword, and with a grunt lifted it up into the air, swinging it at the lightning that was coming their way. The electricity caught the sword and sent the pair stumbling backwards and crumpling to the ground in front of a tree.

"Dammit!" Lloyd swore, picking Mithos back up into a drag and twisting around the tree, hiding himself from Kvar. "He is supposed to be dead. DEAD!"

"So…am I…though…" Mithos choked out, while the body he inhabited trembled. "Dammit…why does your…inferior human body need to…feel so much?"

"Well _excuse me_ for being human!" Lloyd replied indignantly, completely unaware of the crooked grin Mithos had put on. He brought his eyes back from beyond the tree to Mithos, locking eyes with the surprising comrade.

"I've done so… for a while now." Mithos struggled to speak. Before Lloyd could respond however, a pair of hands clamped down on each side of his head, and a sudden surge of energy felt like it was sapped from his body. "Sorry Lloyd…but neither of us are going to die here." Mithos spoke with a rejuvenated voice just as Lloyd passed out from energy loss into his arms. Despite the fact that Lloyd himself didn't exist physically to the world, he did exist to Mithos and he wasn't as light as his body size let on. Cradling him in his arms with a few degrees of haste, Mithos looked over his shoulder at the approaching Kvar and glared towards the stalking opponent.

"Not today, Kvar." Mithos growled with Lloyd's voice. In a flutter of eyelids, his wings appeared on his back, and before Kvar could even yell out, Mithos had dashed off into a running start and leapt into the sky, dodging the lightning that Kvar fired off at them as he fled. He could hear the howls of rage from Kvar as he fled into the completely clouded sky, his prismatic wings beating against the air as he flew off. Kvar could only watch as rage boiled up within him before discharging in a shockwave to vent his anger. Nothing at all happened to begin with, and then every tree within a twenty foot vicinity of him erupted into a spray of bark and timber, lighting on fire and turning into ashes before they even touched ground. When his electrical fit was finished, Kvar glanced up at where Mithos, now in Lloyd's body, had flown away.

"You can run Mithos…you can hide yourself and Lloyd as best as you want…but I will find you." Kvar growled as his one visible eye opened wide enough to reveal three separate pupils. Two were revolving around his actual pupil, both of them black as night. Raising his hand back up to the air, lightning energy encompassed the hand before he slammed it down on his revealed portion of face. Moments later, his entire mask flashed into existence, reassembling itself within moments. As soon as the mask faded from existence, so had he.

_**------ Flanoir Renegade Base? ------**_

"It's even snowing here…on of a mountain…in the middle of bloody _nowhere_!" Yuan growled as he touched down on ground. As he walked forward through the snow, Yuan could help but realize just how warm his actual attire was compared to his more usual clothes. Shaking off the mind set as he continued to plow through the snow, Yuan reached his base's entrance and popped it open, sighing miserably as he walked through the front doors of his base. There was no power running through the base at all, meaning that either his unlimited power source had finally run out, or the connection was broken between them.

"Systems, activate emergency generators one through…" Yuan began, stopping as he realized the folly in his words. Shaking his head, he shut the door behind him and walked to the nearest wall panel and pressed down on it. The panel popped outwards and split in half, each portion sliding aside to reveal a series of wires. Raising his right hand to the wires, Yuan let a jolt of electricity flow into the series of wires and waited to hear the tell-a-tale buzz of his comms systems activating again. Clearing his voice, Yuan looked up at the nearest speaker indignantly and with a scowl fixated upon his face.

"System, activate emergency generators one through twenty seven and activate the power renewal systems." Yuan commanded, waiting a few moments as the system released a handful of beeps. Moments later the entire base whirred to life, a series of hums and machine sounds that quickly faded into the background as though it was always there.

"Greetings, Lord Yuan." The base spoke, drawing a crooked grin from the face of the seraph.

"So full of yourself, aren't you, Yuan?" A foreign voice called from down the hall. Yuan's eyes shot across to see a man in far too many shades of white standing in front of him defiantly. His eyes rested on the mask that he wore forebodingly, the single design on his face of an unblinking eye that seemed to fixate itself upon him.

"And just who the hell are you?" Yuan growled as he brought the Swallow out in front of him. "And why the hell are you in _my_ base!"

"Don't tell me you forgot about me, Yuan…" The figure spoke, his left hand rising into the air as a clawed gauntlet cane up to rest against the side of his hooded head. "I'm wounded."

"Not yet you're not, but I'm tempted to remedy that." Yuan responded unamused, his hand tightening around the dual bladed weapon.

"My name is Destruction. I am the Immaculate White Testament of Destruction. Hey loyal left hand and, most of all, the wielder of the Sanctusdeleo." Destruction uttered, pointing his right hand at Yuan forebodingly. "And I know where your lovely wife is."

Yuan's face contorted into a brief display of fear before tightening into that of rage.

"I must say, you've lowered your standards drastically…" Destruction taunted again, before turning around a corner and dashing off.

"Get…" Yuan began, before taking his first step in chase, breaking into as fast a run as he could provide. "**…BACK HERE!!"**

* * *

A/N: And so, another meeting of a Testament and ONE IS REVEALED! Oh gosh no, Kvar has returned from the dead. And gotten really psychotic and developed a nigh unhealthy addiction to pain. You got to see into the first vestiges of strength within the Testaments. Not even the Eternal Swordsman, the original, can truly stand up to him. As well, we all got to see just how…connected (Yes Dragonwings144, that one is in honor of you) Mithos and Lloyd are. Believe me, it'll get deeper too. So, we can now put at least three names to our cast of antagonists. Toltus, Kloitz, and Kvar. Aselia's future is looking bleak. 

Here's the latest pairing count.

Undine/Lloyd: 11  
Sheena/Lloyd: 9  
Mithos/Lloyd: 7  
Sheena/Zelos: 4  
Zelos/Presea: 4  
Colette/Genis: 4  
Presea/Lloyd: 3  
Regal/Kratos: 2  
Kratos/Sheena: 2  
Regal/Sylph: 1  
Dirk/Altessa: 1  
Lloyd/Seles: 1  
Zelos/Lloyd: 1

This is your final chance to vote. Get them in or hold your peace. After this, pairing number two is decided and we move on to vote for this stories third big coupling. As of next chapter, we'll know whether or not Lloydine, Sheloyd, or Mithoyd will join with Raine/Yuan…or whether it'll be a Lloyd pairing at all. VOTE!


	5. Chapter 5: Symphony of Destruction

**Insaneiac: Well, congratulations voters, readers, and the select Panel of Five. We have ourselves our first fan voted pairing. Allow me just one second to close my eyes and take a very deep, possibly last, breath. –Couple moments later- That felt good. So…what won?**

**After going from two votes to twelve and winning four to one in the panel, Lloyd is officially property of Mithos Yggdrasill. Yes folks, that's right. Pairing number two is officially Lloyd/Mithos. I just have to ask, do you all like jumping up and down on what little sanity I have left? I bet you do! All of you are just jumping away on what little sanity I still have. Oh well, since I don't want this to degrade into a rant that would make Kramer blush (I have been WAITING to use that for so long), here is the next chapter. Not so much action, but plot building. We love that…right?**

…**right?**

**Spiritua: What's a Kramer? o.O Oh well. I really hope beta-ing this is worth failing the project I'm supposed to be doing, but... I suppose that if Morgan wanted it done, he wanted it done. –shrug- Enjoy, everyone.**

**Insaneiac: -Cries- I am so horrible to my friends…I shalt commit seppuku.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Symphony of Destruction

* * *

_There often comes a time were we are greeted by ourselves. A version of us that existed back when we were weak and scared and pitiful creatures. The image of ourselves before we become a stronger and smarter existence. Often we greet that image with hatred and contempt, despising it for being what it once was just as we despise ourselves for once being as such. A weak and scared and pitiful creature. Often that is because we, ourselves, cannot admit the coldest truth of all. We never really changed from the weak and scared and pitiful creature. All we did was hide him behind a mask of pain. And so, in reality, it is not the image we hate, but what it truly is there to tell you._

_That you are still weak and scared and pitiful._

"GET BACK HERE!" Yuan yelled at the top of his lungs as he turned another corner. A flicker of white bending around a corner caught his eyes and continued to lead him on. Despite being wholly focused on hunting down the white clad intruder, Yuan was more focused on what he had uttered. The intruder, in his scholar-like voice with his unreadable tone, had just spelt out that he was in on Raine's location. When one has spent thousands of years running an organization that was bent on bringing down things closely resembling gods, connecting anything to everything was never a far enough stretch.

In his mind, this man had his Raine. If not him directly than it was someone close to him.

Yuan turned the corner and dashed down the long hallway that followed, leading to a pair of doors that were just now closing and the white figure that was just beyond them. A smirk flickered onto Yuan's face as he realized just where that room in particular led from there. That, of course, would be to a bunch of walls. The only exit to that room was also the only entrance. In laymens terms, Yuan had the man trapped. Walking ahead slowly, Yuan let the energy in his body build and flow about his being before forcing it to his left hand, electricity coursing about the limb and the air around it filling with fury. His right hand tightened considerably on the Swallow as he reached the doors. They opened with mechanical obedience and allowed Yuan full sight to the room.

It was his communications center. A large dome like structure with video screens that filled the room in a semi circular fashion, each connected to a specialized magitechnological device called a vidcam. He had them everywhere around the world, and always kept them hidden in the smartest of places. If a cockroach so much as lifted a leg in Meltokio, or if a branch ever cracked in the forest of Ymir, he would catch it. It was the only one like it in the entire world of Aselia, even back when it was Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. The only other place like it was the much bigger comms center within Derris-Kharlan. Within the center of the room was a slight depression, an inner circle that was a level lower than the outer circle that housed the monitors and computer systems. That inner circle was where Yuan would stand whilst his Renegades commenced with comms work. From above the room was a single seat that seemed to descend from the roof. As it was, the seat had descended until it was exactly in the center of the room.

And sitting on it in a very relaxed and fair manner was Destruction. His left hand and gauntlet rested gently on the arm of the chair while his right hand was pressed to the side of his head, holding it there in a speculative manner. Eerily enough, Yuan could feel the man's eyes focused directly on his own eyes, even though they were hidden behind the mask. Pressing against the hood of his cloak, Destruction rubbed the fabric against his head before removing his right hand from his being and resting against the chair, crossing his right arm over his chest and resting his hand on his left forearm.

"Comfortable?" Yuan asked, his voice dripping sarcasm. Oddly enough, Yuan could feel the smile form on the man's face. "Found that funny, did you?"

"Ahh." The man sighed as he rubbed his bandaged forearm soothingly. "You always could read me, Yuan…or at least my actions. You have always been so good at reading how people act but never at what they say." Destruction muttered serenely before turning his attention to a computer screen to his left. Lifting a finger on his right hand and pointing it at the screen, the black wisps of air that hovered around his right arm shot out and hit a button on the console. The screen fizzled once before clicking on and revealing a picture of the world as a whole. Yuan watched it for a handful of moments, long enough to see that the world had changed drastically. Although he was shocked quite a bit by the varying images of the rearranged world, he hid it as he hid all things that surprised him.

"The world has changed Yuan." Destruction stated, glancing to bluenette.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Yuan retorted as he turned his attention back to the Testament. "Going to tell me what color my hair is next?" There was no friendly notion to be found in his voice at all.

"It's blue."

"I wasn't serious."

"I know."

Yuan sighed agitatedly. The farce had gone on long enough, as had his patience. "Where's my wife?" He demanded, narrowing his gaze on Destruction murderously.

"Should I know that?" Destruction replied as calmly as he had to everything else. He didn't even show so much as a flinch of nervousness towards the seraph, and even though Yuan couldn't see if, he could feel that smile grow. He did, however, react when a stream of lighting ripped through the air and curve towards his face. He swung his left hand in front of his face and absorbed the entire bolt of lightning into the clawed and malicious gauntlet.

"Tsk, tsk. Such an unfavorable reaction, Yuan. Have you no patience at all, even after four thousand years of loneliness?"

"Why are you talking like you know me?" Yuan growled with a voice as sharp as a spear point. He clenched his left hand tightly, focusing more energy to his left hand. "And tell me where my wife is!"

"Why shouldn't I know you Yuan? Or…" Destruction paused, taking his right hand and propping his chin up with it. "…should I say Final Guardian Yuan, Commander of the Royal Arcane Guard?" Destruction laughed gently as he watched Yuan's eyes shoot open at the title. That was a surprise that even Yuan couldn't hide behind his invisible mask of strength. His bottom lip quivered suddenly and the bluenette had to turn away to regain himself. Something that further amused the white clad man.

"That title is as dead as the person who once held it." Yuan seethed before turning back to face his opponent. "And for you to know that title means you're just as dead as it is. It faded with…"

"…The Elveran Empire and its royal line…which happened over four thousand years ago." Now there was an undertone of anger that coated his words, and the demeanor around Destruction had altered considerably. The serenity around the man had shifted to one of caged anger. "It was ended when you killed the last living heir to the throne. But then again, I'm sure you had a good reason to. After all, he did put his hands on your most loved, most precious one."

"What…did you just say?" This time, Yuan's voice was nigh silent and very demonic. There was a bloodlust that wrapped about his words like a python wraps about its prey.

"Should I use more details?" The smile grew, Yuan could _feel _it growing, and adopted a despicable essence to it. "How about skewered the little child with a lance of lightning, piercing her chest like an arrow would an apple. A look of horror that rest on her eyes that sang songs to whoever watched. Need I go on?" Destruction taunted, holding his right hand into the air and watching the black wisps that surrounded his right arm dance about. "I always felt her truest beauty came out when she was covered in her own blood." The words he spoke took a severe tone of sinisterly nature at the end as Destruction laughed, albeit a lot less serenely, bringing his right hand up to the left side of the mask and pressing against it.

"You…" Yuan began, his body trembling as he watched the white clad man laugh. His fingers tightened on the Swallow to the point where he bruised his hand, and his eyes reflected all the rage he felt inside.** "BAAASTAARD!!!" **Yuan screamed furiously as his wings blinked into existence. He shot into the air and towards the chair as fast as he could, slicing through the seat with his double bladed weapon and carving the seat in two. He turned in mid air and spotted the Testament standing exactly where he himself had been just moments prior, waving at him with his right hand. A loud crash echoed through the room as the bottom half of the seat shattered against the floor. Whipping his left hand to the Testament, he unleashed arcs of lightning that all curved in towards the man in white. A single swing of the man's gauntlet deflected all the lightning away from himself and into various screens around the room, creating explosions that shook the room.

Yuan wasted no time diving towards the man in white, going into a quick one-eighty spin and slicing towards his neck. Before Yuan could blink, the black smoke around his arm had solidified and turned into a thin bladed saber. Yuan's eyes glared through the mask angrily, and he could tell his opponent had felt it too. Right before Yuan's eyes, the tip of his sword shot upwards and wrapped around the Swallow, before shooting into and through Yuan's left shoulder. A scream of pain erupted from the bluenette as he fell backwards and at the feet of the Testament, his shoulder bleeding surprisingly fast. His left hand extended down to Yuan and grabbed him tightly by the throat, lifting him into the air and displaying a shockingly and image betraying strength.

"Who…are…you?" Yuan choked out, his hands lifting up to the gauntlet and tightening around it. Suffocating was never just as easy as not being able to breathe. It hurt to feel gasps result in chokes and the emptiness in your lungs claw your body from the inside out desperately. Yuan trembled as he felt himself pulled towards Destruction, his right hand coming up and brushing strands of blue hair away so as to gaze into his eyes. The hand rested against the left side of his faced gently, patting it tauntingly.

"The person that killed your dear little Martel…and the person you lied and betrayed." Destruction whispered. Yuan's eyes, if it was possible, opened even wider as he heard the Testament declare himself to him.

"La…LaFill…ick?" Yuan choked out, his voice visibly horrified. Before he could do anything else, he felt himself swung about in mid air and slammed into the nearest wall. Cracks shot out all around him and through the rest of the general area of the wall, seconds before LaFillick wrenched him back from the wall. Spinning again, he aimed to slam Yuan against the wall once more, but this time his gauntlet flashed white and fired a massive ray of energy straight into Yuan's body, jettisoning him into and through the wall, and then through the next wall after that before crashing against a third with a vicious impact and collapsing to the floor in a heap. He was still conscious when he felt a mask press against his ear roughly, and a gloved hand cupped his cheek on the other side of his face.

"Your wife is in Meltokio…and so is Kloitz, waiting to meet her. Will you save this one, Yuan? Or will you simply watch as she is killed again? You, who truly murdered Martel." As though his words were sleep themselves, Yuan slipped into unconsciousness. "Sleep well, little Yuan. I need you alive…for now." With that, LaFillick stood up and left the room, leaving Yuan in the room in a battered state.

_**------ Zelos' Mansion ------**_

"Why…does…everything…hurt?" A voice whined in the distance as he lay on the ground in pain. To any onlooker, all they would have seen is a red haired man in a clergy like suit. Of course, the other thing they all would have seen was a completely out of place mansion in the middle of a bustling forest. Of course, the figure that was face down in the ground was barely moving to begin with, and a nearby boar had begun nudging him as to inspect him to see if there it was really dead. After the figure began to move a bit on its own, the boar nudged him harder and snorted aggressively.

"Whatever you're saying, I don't speak pig." The prone redhead muttered unfavorably, waiving a hand at the intruding animal. A moment later, he felt something clamp down around it, and hard. Instead of screaming in pain, Zelos simply lifted his head up off the ground and turned to glare at the boar. His eyes narrowed as the rather light clamp around his hand slowly got harder.

"Unless you wanna wind up over a spit and then in _my_ stomach, you'll stop chewing on my hand out right now!" Zelos muttered unhappily. After a few moments, all that had happened was that the boar had closed his mouth even more. Now it was beginning to hurt the red head. "Jeez, are you the pig equivalent to Lloyd? LEGGO!" Zelos yelled, waiving his other hand in the air. When the boar did nothing at all, Zelos began to get to his feet. In response, the boar swung his head to the left sharply and caused the former chosen to take a header into the dirt ground again and emitting a dull thud. An unamused groan slipped out of the redhead's clenched teeth before he slowly turned his head back to the boar.

And he could have sword it was laughing at him while it held his hand in its jaws. Thankfully, they had not gotten any more shut since the last time. "Okay, you need to let go of me…and now. Fun time is over, and now you're just getting me dirty." Zelos commanded dryly before waiting for the boar to listen and obey. In response, the boar let go of his hand as if he was obedient, before walking over and sitting on Zelos' back, much to the pervert's dismay.

"THIS IS NOT AN IMPROVEMENT!!" Zelos screamed, beating his hands against the ground. Soon he was slamming them against the ground simultaneously to no particular rhythm. All he was thankful for was that no one was around to watch the rather reputation slaughtering scene. _'I swear to…to me that I am going to turn this thing into a feast!' _"GET! OFF! ME!" Zelos continued to scream. He paused for a moment when he felt something wet and thick rub against the back of his head and flick off his head piece. He felt it again soon after, pulling his hair along with it painfully. "Okay…you have your fun…you got to…try and eat my hand. Not many of my hunnies can claim that. Now you need to get off me." Zelos tried again, this time calm and desperately trying to sound like his suave self. It really didn't help his mind much when he felt the boar take in a mouth full of his hair and begin pulling on it. Not chewing, just pulling on it rather painfully. Zelos' head shot up in pain as the boar began to torture the redhead even more.

"Getthehelloffmeyougoddessbedamnedevolutionarymistake!!!" Zelos screamed furiously as he pounded against the ground. Now he really didn't care who might have seen him. He didn't really give a lot about his reputation at that point. Right now, he just wanted to have the very special needs and disgustingly curious wild animal off of his personal being through any means necessary. He began to shout out in hopes of getting some ones, anyone's attention, but nothing like that was happening. He began to try and squirm out from under the creature, and instead from himself in an even more painful position, now with the big pulling his head back almost too far.

"I swear! If you don't leggo of my hair, I am going to kill you until you DIE from it!" He began pulling his head away from the boar, giving hard tugs at the expense of his meticulously groomed hair as he did. Just as he gave his hardest tug yet, the boar released his death grip on his fiery mane, and Zelos delivered a headbutt of epic proportions to the ground he was laying against, cracking the earth around his head and sending a small earthquake through the resulting land. The boar simply sat on top of Zelos in a nigh confused state, watching the swordsman with patient eyes as the aforementioned human let out a very long, very miserable groan.

"You…goddess be damned…retarded…" Zelos muttered agitatedly, as he felt the animal begin turning around. He was about to stand up when he felt the pig sit back down on his back, this time further up on his own personal being. For a brief period of time, Zelos was confused at just what was going on, but that was when he felt the boar on top of him jab his nose into his posterior with a rather reckless sense of curiosity. Now, Zelos Wilder was scared.

"OKAY! THAT'S IT! GET OFF! **GETOFFMERIGHTGODDAMNNOW!**" Zelos demanded and screamed, shaking his head furiously. When the boar continued to go on, Zelos began to shake and squirm and struggle as much as possible to the boar off his own personal being. "HELP! HELP! I'M BEING VIOLATED BY A LLOYD-PIG!" Zelos bellowed at the top of his lungs as tears began to form at his eyes. Why couldn't the boar just chomp down on his head an end the torment already? Why did it have to be as vacant as his best friend was at the best of times? "SOMEONE! ANYONE! HE-E-E-E-ELP!" Zelos whined as he slammed his hands against the ground and did everything possible to get out from under the animal.

'_I…the great Zelos Wilder…am going to die after a pig has his way with me…what a sad…pitiful way for the freaking sexy angel to go…' _"Wait…ANGEL!" Zelos shouted as loud as possible, before glaring as best as he could to the animal on top of him, prodding his ass with its nose. "Okay piggy! I'm glad you love my perfectly formed ass…but playtime is OVER!" Zelos growled, summoning forth his wings. Before the boar knew what had even happened, a flash and a pair of fiery red and orange wings appeared into the world and knocked the creature right off his back, the crystalline nature of the wings slicing open the underside of its stomach.

"Okay…now it's burning time!" Zelos threatened as he brought large balls of fire into existence that almost seemed to match the inferno-like rage that resonated within his eyes. However, before Zelos could do anything, the pig had spun around and scampered off furiously into the forest. Now normally Zelos would have had no whims about torching an entire forest to take revenge on a pig that had decided to explore his very attractive body, but this forest also happened to house his mansion for the time being.

"…wait a second…MANSION?" Zelos shouted, floating back to the ground as he actually noticed that his mansion really was located into the middle of some random forest. In fact, it was in the middle of a forest he wasn't even sure he had been too. Sighing, Zelos faded his wings out of existence and rested his hands on his hips, glaring off in the direction of where the pig had charged off. Those boars were indigenous to Ymir forest and he could have sworn he had seen some in Torent forest as well. But the forest he was surrounded by seemed vaguely like Gaoracchia forest, and there was even parts that looked like the forest land that hid about the mountainous area that housed Asgard.

"Okay, seriously. What the hell?" Zelos muttered unhappily, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. The back of his head hurt considerably at that point, thanks to the boar that had decided to try and have his hair for dinner. "This is like…a really bad nature mix and match here."

"Oh…" A voice had cracked from behind him. Zelos has spun around to see Sebastian standing at the door to the mansion, shaking slightly as he stood at the door staring at Zelos. Obviously he was in shock from something quite a bit massive. He himself couldn't recall much after the really bright white light engulfed him whole and knocked him out. And then, of course, upon waking up he had become the unknowing victim of a curious and far to exploration happy boar. Smacking his head twice and shaking it to remove the horrible event from his consciousness, Zelos walked up to Sebastian and patted him on the back, once again adopting his usual relaxed self.

"Yo! I'm back!" Zelos stated, before glancing beyond his loyal butler and beloved guardian and to his equally beloved place of residence. "Well…it made the transition nicely I see. No trees shooting out of it or…any Lloyd-pigs making a habitat in there." Zelos inspected, pausing for a moment before leisurely turning his head to Sebastian. "…there are no Lloyd-pigs in there making a habitat…right?"

"No chos…" Sebastian started, before remembering that the day and age of "Chosen one" had long since past. "No there are not, Master Wilder." Sebastian noticed Zelos shudder at the very formal name and shake his head in response.

"Good!"

"Pardon my asking, but why are you combining Sir Bud to pigs?"

Zelos paused in mid stride for a moment before shaking his head furiously. "Never mind. It's is SO not important." Zelos muttered very solidly, before making his way to his formal headpiece that was knocked off by the frisky animal and swiping off the dirt that had gotten onto it. "Get me hot water and something soothing to listen to…I need to shower. I need to shower **_now_**." Zelos spoke, very seriously and very unamused as he, rather quicker than usual, walked towards his house and into it. All Sebastian could hear from the rather odd acting man was a quip about how he was going to throttle Lloyd. As to why, he couldn't begin to comprehend.

"Oh…and lock the doors…All of them."

"Right away, master Wilder."

"Gah!" Zelos shouted in response to the name, mumbling even more under his breath.

_**------ Meltokio ------**_

Eyes blinked open and a mind returned to reality. It was, however, a reality of pain and pressure on parts of her body. Struggling to breathe, the half-elf began to feel herself losing control of her emotions, panic began to overwhelm her senses and soon the pain faded into the beginnings of a nervous breakdown. Parts of her body hurt for reasons that she could not comprehend and, being the person she was, that was enough to cause her to lose her finely grown and cared for calmness and collected demeanor. Her hands reached up to her side as though to feel for the most painful part of her, and instead of feeling the fabric of her wedding gown, felt bare skin.

Now she was far more worried and panicked. Not only was she in pain that was blinding to the point of nerve destroying, but she was also naked. Albeit, she quickly found out later that she was also tucked into a bed, it still was disturbing to wake up and be naked. To make matters even worse, it wasn't helping her nerves any to know that, at one point or another, someone had stripped her and tucked her into a bed.

Slowly at first, Raine began to remember how to breathe. That was the important thing for the time being, as worrying about why she was in someone's bed and completely de-robed could come later. She began to piece together the things that had just happened to her and, instead of uncovering the truth of her current situation, found herself even more confused. Her memory went from being carried by Yuan to her wedding reception, to a giant white flash, to waking up in this bed. Waking up in this bed and being in considerable amounts of pain all about her body. And the suffocating confusion continued to engulf and horrify her.

She was Raine Sage. The Professor. She is not supposed to ever be confused. She was supposed to be the one that knew the most about the situations and clearly be the able one to lead and to guide. Breathing deeply once again, Raine before her search anew to find what hurt her so. Her hands searched her entire body for an open wound or a gash or some broken bone, and could find nothing of the sort. Not so much as a scratch seemed to mark her body, and she didn't know why. She really wanted to know too. After all, it didn't make sense otherwise. There was brutal pain but nothing causing the pain.

"Well…" Raine spoke in a calculating fashion. She brought a hand to her head to rub it soothingly as she tried to put together the pieces of her current predicament. Turning her head to the left, she spotted a piece of paper folded up on top of her usual traveling clothes. Blinking twice, she began to notice that, which not in a building she had ever been into, its design and interior were comparable to Meltokio. In fact, it seemed to match that of the central portion of Meltokio architecture. Just outside the noble section if she had to place it somewhere. Turning her attention once more to the letter, she reached for it slowly and grasped it, pulling it towards herself. It was then that she noticed, above all else, that her ring was still on her finger.

"It's obvious I wasn't the victim of theft or rape then." Raine put together, speaking to the air about her. That seemed to relieve her considerably and soon found herself opening the letter expectantly. "And this is probably Yuan letting me know not to worry or something to that effect."

She couldn't have been more wrong.

_Dearest Daughter,_

_If you are reading this now, then you have woken up. That is…a decent notion I suppose. You're more than likely wondering why you cannot locate the reason to the pain about your body, or as to why all but your ring had been removed from your being. In fact, if I know you as well I suppose I do, you've probably counted out theft and crimes of lust. That's a good little girl._

_Your pain and the resulting pressure that you feel is merely a side-effect of the method of healing I used to keep you from succumbing to your wounds. You're naked because the gown you were wearing had wrapped itself nicely around your throat and was about to be your cause of death. I'm sure that would not sit well with your dearly beloved husband. For the record, please do not be the cause of his death as well…you've been the cause of death for enough of us Sage family members, and our newest one deserves to at least enjoy some time as a member in a family before your curse takes him as well. And please do not try to argue with this statement, as I am sure your promise to my little boy and your betrayal to him are still fresh in your mind, and I am more than certain that the same fate will befall my son-in-law._

_I would like at least one living male heir thank you very much._

_If you can keep yourself from crying on this paper, then I will continue. I am waiting for you Raine. Inside the Temple of Martel. _

_Don't bother setting a trip for Iselia…it is only about an hours journey to your left. You just need to traverse the labyrinth of rubble and destruction the resulted from it coming into existence here. I look forward to seeing you, oh dearest daughter. To let you know that everything will be alright in the end and that there will be no more suffering for you._

_I'll wait at the temple. Just for you. My Dearest Daughter._

_-Kloitz_

* * *

A/N: Oooh…Raine fans are going to hate me. Yes, there you go…that's all the Raine you get for now. Now what have learnt in this chapter? That Toltus LaFillick is Captain Obvious II (The first being Kratos Aurion in his portrayal as Kratos Aurion in Forsaken by Meowzy-chan and Spiritua Masquerade. It's Forasken-licious! There, I said it…gimme my money Meowzy!, that Zelos was very nearly violated by a "Lloyd-pig"…and that Raine has very awful parents. 

More importantly, ROUND 2! This time, the gloves are dropped. Here is the deal. Every vote needs to be cast online, and you only get two votes. Now, you can cast those two for a single pairing, or for two separate ones. So if you want to cast two for Kratos/Presea, than you can. If you wanna cast one for Kratos/Presea and another for Sheena/Zelos…you can. No votes will be counted in the forum thread this is in (Look forward to a Twilight forum in the future by the by) and no vote will be counted by PM. All need to be by review. Further more, the list is completely blank. So we start anew. Ready readers? Round two of the pairing voting sensation begins now!


	6. Chapter 6: Unrivaled Chaos

**Insaneiac: Gawd, that took a while. What with dotHack GU finally winning over a piece of my brain and getting a story of its own (shameless plug time, all GU fans go read it. It is called Volume 2: A Dream that Encompasses All…think of it as the .hack Beneath the Surface story.) Anyways, first thing is most definitely first…Lloyd and Mithos can not be voted for any longer, either separately or as a pairing vote. That's because they are already paired together. So people that voted for Lloyd and Sheena or Lloyd and Mithos, recast your votes please. Otherwise, you will find that you total potential effect on pairings is dulled considerably. **

**Alright, so I've teased you all about it, but this time there is no more teasing. After this chapter, I will be establishing a stand alone forum for Tales of Twilight. It will include topics with the pairing counts, the individual voted in pairings, the Testaments themselves and who they may be, as well as general discussion thread and other threads as I go along. **

**Finally, I've talked about it for a while, and if chapters two and three were any indication of her at all, this will dispel any doubt. Get ready for Chapter Six of Tales of Twilight. But first, a word from my special guest, one-time-only-or-Spiritua-will-slaughter-me editor, Dragonwings144!**

**D-Wings: **Only once? Well... I call dibs on your next TOS project then. Spiritua can't keep your genius all to herself! Anyway kiddies, in apology for all the teasers he's giving, Insaneiac here wants to make it up in the form of fucking awesome fight scenes.

(Review, or the owl will eat you.)

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. NAMCO-BANDAI does. All hail N-B…thy Gods of RPG games.

* * *

Chapter Six: Unrivaled Chaos

* * *

"Aww, he's waking up. Rise and shine sleepy head." A voice, one that sounded very much like someone he despised, spoke mockingly. A mumbled groan escaped the lips of the waking up individual, followed by a couple of quick blinks. On the fourth blink, Lloyd's eyes shot open as he realized something very wrong. He was being cradled by Mithos Yggdrasil, held like a baby in the arms of the half-elf he once considered his greatest enemy. He allowed himself only a brief moment of absent mindedness before his hand shot up and smacked Mithos in the forehead, releasing his grip on Lloyd and leaving a rather hefty bruise on his forehead, not to mention startling the hell out of the rather contemplative half-elf. With his being freed of Mithos' grasp,Lloyd began to fervently search himself for any wounds or scratches or indications of abuse at the hands of the deceased, or should be deceased, half-elf. When he found himself to be in tip top condition, aside from feeling very tired, Lloyd turned his attention back on Mithos. 

"What the _hell_ did you do to me?" Lloyd yelled furiously as he pointed at the winged Mithos.

"Before any of that Lloyd…aren't you wondering why you aren't, oh you know, plummeting towards a very horrible and sudden death?" Mithos spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. His face lit up with a smile when he watched Lloyd blink at the response, before noticing he was... floating. Lloyd panicked, kicking his legs in the air in an instinctive reaction to falling from a great height. Mithos was tempted to say something, but watching Lloyd go into a spastic and needless attempt to keep himself airborne was far to amusing to pass up.

"You're not falling Lloyd."

"But…" Lloyd spoke, as he stopped his seizure-like dance. "What about that…gravity thing at the Professor told me about? Aren't things supposed to fall right about now?"

"Tentatively speaking, Lloyd, you not a 'thing'. Actually, to be rather blunt, you're nothing right now." Mithos explained, grinning at the horridly confused look on Lloyd's face. "Don't you remember getting your world-saving butt handed to you by Kvar? You were one move away from being six feet under Lloyd. Luckily, your incredible savior, myself, saved you."

"…How?" Lloyd muttered, scratching his head.

"Easy. I'm in _your_ body right now." Mithos spoke with a childish glee as Lloyd's expression morphed from confused to horrified. "Right now Lloyd, I'm you. Minding the fact that this body is a filthy human, it does feel nice to be…existent again. Now, we just need to get you changed into a half-elf, and things will impro-" Mithos was cut off in his speech when a pair of hands grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward. Suddenly, Lloyd looked very, very unhappy. "Oh, so this is how you thank a hero, huh Lloyd? You're more human than I thought. This is where you should be hugging me warmly and saying something like-"

"Get…the **_HELL _**out of my body Mithos." Lloyd was, in a word, irate. Behind the anger though, he was scared. Mithos found a way to take over his own body and use it as his own. If he so wanted, he could wield the Eternal Sword and destroy everything that had worked to put together. Mithos could live again in his own body without anyone to contest against him. The very thought of such boiled him alive beneath his skin, despite his not actually having skin at that point. He was trembling furiously and doing everything possible to keep from going into a ballistic rage at that point, but he was already more than furious.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Lloyd." Mithos replied, his voice curt as he glanced down at Lloyd's tightening hands. "You have no control over your angelic abilities, so it-"

"**_NOW!!"_** Lloyd screamed as loud as he could, his eyes almost ready to spew lava. Now he was beyond simply being angry.

"Fine Lloyd…" Mithos began, gripping the true host of the body by his shoulders tightly. "Have it your way." A sharp pull forward drove Lloyd into his own body and knocked the current host out of it from the back, causing Mithos to float above Lloyd's backside. "Have your weak human body back." Mithos spoke with a suddenly amused tone, as if he knew something profound that Lloyd did not. At that point, however, Lloyd really did not care. He was just happy to have his body back and completely under his control.

"…What is it with you and the color white?" Lloyd spoke critically, looking at himself in his new white garb. "I mean what the he-" Lloyd stopped abruptly when he felt his stomach lurch up into his throat. Lloyd vomited massively, blood and whatever contents in his stomach was left shooting out of his mouth as suddenly as he had gained his body back, followed by the loudest scream of agony that he had ever loosed on the world. A heartbeat later, his body nearly exploded, with wounds both new and old opening up on every section of his body. A cloud of blood engulfed Lloyd, drenching his white armor and turning it into a mess of bloody red stains. A second ear piercing scream escaped Lloyd as he felt torment that should have taken an hour at minimum to fully impose upon himself inflict itself upon him within mere seconds, his body twisting and contorting in the air before he felt his wings phase away. Just as his plummet began, Lloyd's mind went blank, caused by the immense and sudden agony that had engulfed him, causing his screams to shorten into disgusted moans and his contortions to become spastic trembles. He was vaguely aware that he was plummeting towards the ground at high speeds, the wind whipping against the wounds on his back serving to further destroy his senses. Tears flowed from his eyes, forced out due to the coursing brutality that echoed about his body. His entire existence had simply become one of pain and suffering, the hurt engulfing his very soul.

All of a sudden, his descent and agony ceased, and the only thing that he could feel was a pair of arms wrapped around his stomach tightly. His mind still foggy and distorted, Lloyd coughed violently as he trembled, his back pressed to another body.

"That, Lloyd, is why I'm in control right now. You have no degree of control over your angelic abilities. You barely know how to fly with your wings. Right now, this body is sustaining wounds inflicted both from my fight and your fight with Kvar. If you, who cannot control your body's amazing abilities at all, are in control…we'll die Lloyd." Mithos explained with a calm and serious tone as he let go of Lloyd, allowing him to float by himself while his body reacted to having its wounds taken from it so suddenly. "You and I, Lloyd…we're connected now. Your actions influence our lives just as much as mine will. Since you can't control your angelic powers, I will. I'll keep you alive with my actions."

"Why didn't you... why didn't you tell me that crap in the first place?"

Mithos smirked. "Well, Lloyd, that would be because I wanted to say: 'I told you so.' Besides, I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen. So here you go. Now I saved you again... that's twice now, by the way. "

After taking a few very deep breaths, Lloyd looked at Mithos wearily, eying his forced comrade as he floated in front of him, stained in the blood from they body they both shared. "Why…the hell…do you care Mithos? What is it about my life that makes you want to save it?"

Before Mithos, who wore a forlorn face, could respond to Lloyd in any matter at all, a voice echoed in both their heads.

"_**Lloyd and Mithos, Eternal Swordsmen…you are needed. COME!"**_

All of a sudden, there was a loud sound that engulfed them, sounding much like a tuning fork being hit, before the two of them disappeared from the air.

_**------ In the Middle of the Collective Forests ------**_

Presea felt weak. Not so much an emotion, but a feeling. Her body was aching all over, as though she had been both stretched and crushed at the same time, yet there was no pain to truly speak off. What she was consciously aware of was the fact that she was lying prone against the ground, underneath a large willow tree that belonged to the Ymir Woods. She gave her head a very firm shake, as though to jump start her thought process, before standing up and getting off of the ground. She glanced around the immediate area, seeing nothing in particular other than the fact that there were about five different forests all combined into one.

"Signs of Ymir, and Gaoracchia, and various forests in and amidst the Asgard and Iselia areas are present. It is obvious that these forests were separate before hand, so why are they now suddenly one single combination?" Presea muttered to herself, scratching the side of her head casually. It had become so much harder for her to put together simple facts and state them since her emotional cage had been shattered so completely. She would often find herself becoming emotionally attached to one statement versus another, despite them either both being true, or the latter being a more appropriate fact. With another firm shake of her head, Presea turned her attention to a pair of boxes, wing packs to be specific, which rested in a pocket inside her bridesmaid dress.

"My current attire is not fitted for forest exploration." She murmured, pulling out the two packs, and placing one of the packs against the ground. She took the other of the packs and reached into it. Moments later, she had pulled out her typical battle garb. "I should thank Yuan for agreeing to my proposal for this course of action." Presea spoke with a cheerful tone, inwardly disgusted at how happy she sounded. Pushing off any further delays, Presea stripped herself of the dress she was currently wearing and put on her traditional battle garb, rotating her arms and stretching her legs to get used to the freedom again. She folded the dress up nicely, patting it down softly before placing it in the wing pack. Putting that one away in a pocket on her current attire, Presea took the other pack from the ground and opened it, withdrawing her Gaia Cleaver battle ax from it, and swinging it firmly into a tree. Moments later, the tree collapsed to the side of her, sending a massive tremor through the immediate forest area. Happy that the ax retained its demonic sharpness, she placed the now empty pack into the same pocket as her other pack, and hoisted the ax so it rested against her shoulder.

Presea managed a single step before a scream pierced the veil of silence that had cast itself upon the forest. Presea's eyes shot open widely and her head shot up wildlyas she heard the scream. It was Sheena. Her vocal tone indicated panic and danger. She knew Sheena did not have her weapons or ninja garb with her, as she forgot them in a brief moment of empty headiness. A slight growl escaped Presea's lips as an emotion of anger engulfed her, and soon she was dashing in the direction of the scream. She ran as hard as she could until she got to a large clearing like area with only a handful of trees dotting about the general area. A number of rogue type people had surrounded Sheena, with two of the larger ones gripping her hands and legs tightly.

Presea turned her head to a nearby rock, both quite large and rather loose. With a malicious glint flashing in her eyes, Presea turned her ax into a club and sent the rock sailing through the air. Moments later, one of the nearer bandits was crushed against the rock as it slammed him into a nearby tree hard, shattering the immediate bark around the impact point and knocking it off the tree. Eyes had shot open as they watch the instant death of their comrade before turning around slowly to glance at a furious little girl with a very large ax.

"Drop her, now." Presea spoke in an eerie calm that was far too emotionally suppressing for her own liking.

"Presea?" Sheena muttered, before a hand clamped around her mouth tightly. Seconds later, the man formerly gripping her legs released them and drove his fist into her gut, driving the air from her lungs. Sheena's eyes shot wide open with the pain as she felt herself collapse against the man currently holding her.

"Get her out of here. We'll have our fun later." The assailant spoke villainously, before turning back to the ax wielding girl. The man holding Sheena nodded once before running off with the nigh unconscious summoner in his grasp. "My name's Berg. That man you just killed was Alex, my lil brother. You realize that you've made a grave mistake, right?" He spoke in a cocky fashion as he un-strapped a large, spiked club from his waist and pointed it at the pink haired girl.

"My name is Presea. That woman you were going to rape is my friend, Sheena. You realize that you have made your last mistake, correct?" Presea muttered back calmly, taking a page from Lloyd's book and trying to intimidate the leader of the rogues. Realistically, she was infuriated. They were about to do something to horrible for words to one of her closest friends. Perhaps before hand, Presea would have felt a slight twinge of anger in regards to this, and stay emotionally unattached. That Presea no longer existed. With a glare in her eyes bearing down on the one called Berg, she began to slowly walk towards the larger group of men, close to fifteen strong, her grip tightening on her ax.

"You little, obnoxious, BRAT!" One of the men yelled, charging towards her. He pulled has sword out of his sheath and lifted it above his head to bring down on top of her. Before he could lower it, Presea's ax cut him right in half, his lower torso collapsing to the ground and his upper half soaring above her. Swinging her ax back to an attacking position, Presea dashed forward towards the rest of them. Eyes shot open widely between the front most three, fumbling to get their weapons out in time to fight. The ax, however, hit first, as it arched through the air and crushed the middle most man, cutting into his skull and through his neck before slamming into the ground. A slight shock wave rippled out from the impact, and before anything else could be done, Presea spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees before, swinging her ax through the other two rogues. One met the same fate as the one who had charged her, his upper half floating towards people in the back, while the other was only cut into partially. He was killed by his body being crushed against the same tree that Alex had been.

"Holy…SHIT…" One of the men yelled, stumbling backwards before attempting to run. "She's…she's…SHE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!!" Berg dropped him with a clubbing blow to the head, before pointing at Presea angrily.

"Go on…KILL HER!" Berg screamed in fury, pointing his club at Presea viciously.

The men nervously drew their weapons out and charged Presea, hopping to get the drop on her before she could attack. They had no such luck, as Presea wrenched the ax free and slammed the hammer like blunt half of the ax into the first group of three. The one to get hit took the blow to the neck, shattering it like glass against a wall and killing him instantly. The rest were clubbed away like flies, sent flying across the field.

"**WICKED SQUALL!" **Presea screamed as she spun around repeatedly and at a fast pace, cutting deep into one of the nearer bandits and using him as a bludgeoning tool to send the rest scattered across the field. With the man still hooked within the ax blade, Presea jumped into the air and pulled her ax behind her head. **"ECHO CLEAVER!"** She cried out as she slammed the ax against the ground, crushing the bandit's torso into the earth. The impact caused the air around her to sharpen and shoot outwards powerfully in three separate paths, shooting through and killing three of the remaining bandits. She finally turned her eyes on Berg, who was the only one left standing, and wrenched the ax free of both the ground and the corpse. Berg was backing away slowly now, his confidence as dead as his men were. He was backing away from the blood covered child as she stalked towards him, bringing her equally as blood covered ax into battle position.

"What…the hell…are you?" He muttered horridly, backing away from the eerily calm dynamo of destruction.

"A friend with the ability to protect. Something more horrifying than even death." She replied to him, before dashing towards him and driving the ax head into his gut. Berg let a grueling cry erupt from his lips as he bent over in immense pain. It would become the last sound he would make before his head left his shoulders, as Presea finished off the leader of the rogues. She didn't bother wasting any time to remove the blood from her ax or from her clothes, as there was still one left with her friend. Dashing off in the direction she had seen him run off it, it wasn't long before he had caught up with the man. He had her pressed up against a tree with a knife to her throat, licking his lips as though he were about to enjoy a feast of sorts. She was barely even awake as far as Presea could tell, but could tell enough from the situation that Sheena was trying to force the man away from her.

"Drop your knife and move away, now." This time, there was no calm in her voice. It was as hard as a mountain side and as jagged as claws. The knife hit the floor, though more from a sign of disbelief, as the man turned to face Presea. The little girl was covered in blood, her ax dripping blood all the same.

"What…the…where's Berg?!"

"Dead."

"What about…"

"**_Dead."_** Presea repeated, a snarl forming on her lips as she did so. The man began to tremble backwards, suddenly realizing his chances of success at this point were very, very low. "If you turn and run, and don't stop running, I will not follow you. If you stop running for even a moment, I'll make you experience every kind of pain imaginable before I finally allow you death." Presea continued, her words enriched and brimming with furious rage. Once again, her inner self found only disgust with the way her emotions were influencing her actions and words. This was not her, this was something else. She was becoming something borderline evil and she hated it. A slight stutter escaped the man's lips before he turned around and ran as hard as he could through the mixture of forests, crying and shouting as he tore through them.

Slowly, Sheena slumped into a sitting position against the tree, her right hand grasping her stomach gently as she winced in pain, glancing as she turned her head over to Presea. She mouthed the word 'thanks' before passing out for a quick nap.

_**------ Triet ------**_

Finally convinced that he had healed well enough, Kratos finished slipping on the last of his armor, not the angelic kind of lordly design that he wore on Welgaia, but rather the purple garb he had worn while he was on the planets. Attaching his sword to his waist, Kratos grimaced as he thumbed his pendant that hung around his neck, glaring at it as though it was an albatross. His thoughts turned to the mysterious woman that had attacked him with Welgaia, the one that talked as though she was his precious wife. He rubbed the pendant between his thumb and the side of his finger longingly, before turning his attention to the door and going for the doorknob.

And missing it altogether, smashing his hand into what now felt like steel. A growl escaped Kratos' lips as he tried again, only to find that the door had disappeared. In fact, so had the windows and any other way out he might have used.

"Trapped inside a room, within a memory, within a fear, within your soul." A voice, an angel's voice, spoke from behind. Kratos turned, albeit slowly, to face the bed in the room. Lying on top of it was the very same woman that attacked him on Welgaia, her hand resting gently on her mask. Kratos trembled slightly as he watched her lying down on the bed, as she slowly turned her masked face to the older man. He couldn't see the smile of chaotic value from behind the mask, but he could feel it.

"Why are you here? Have you come to finish the job you began on Welgaia?" Kratos spoke, this time reserving himself to a fully encompassing calmness, despite his want to growl and yell at the person that would dare use her voice like that.

"Don't you wish about things, dearest Kratos? Or wish on things? Or wish for things? Like the touch of a woman's hand against your face, or for a second chance with the angel that you lost?" She spoke as her tone fluctuated rapidly as chaotically as the designs that adorned her flesh. "Kratos, does my voice not reach you, though blocked by chaos as it is? Are you as trapped by the lies of elegant law as the rest? Oh please, dear Kratos…cast off chains of the oppressive reality that seek your destruction and come to my voice. I can save you from what must befall this tortured land."

"Who are you to believe I need freeing?" Kratos replied, struggling to stay calm. Her voice reflected memories, made him weak. But it couldn't be his Anna. She died, she was no more. "As far as I can tell, you sound more insane than you do a hero, so just what does it seem that I need freeing from?" Kratos allowed himself a blink, and soon felt arms wrapped around his stomach form the rear, and a mask pressed into the small of his back. It was not an offensive assault, it was an embrace.

"Kvar is after our son, Kratos." The words froze Kratos in place. She sounded and alluded to the possibility of being his Anna, but this was the very first time she said something that may have well confirmed it. "Kvar, now known as the Testament of Pain…craves my child…to torture and to murder."

"Lloyd…is not your child." Kratos spoke in a solemn yet furious tone. "You, who imitates my loved one, have no right to imitate her memories and her life." Before he could say anything more, Chaos had appeared in front of him, her embrace dissipating from Kratos, yet Kratos still believing she was holding him. With a growl, he whisked away the lingering feeling and glared at the Testament.

"Cease these games and-" He said nothing else, because at that point, Chaos had removed her mask completely and was holding it to the side of her face, revealing to Kratos the true image of Chaos. Behind the white mask of a million eyes were the features of a goddess' face, complete with the gentlest brown eyes that a woman could truly have.

It was Anna. Anna Aurion, the deceased, was standing in front of her husband and lover. Her subtle brown eyes blinked once before attaching themselves to Kratos' eyes, pushing the seraph backwards with shock.

"No…" Kratos muttered, as his back made contact with the wall of the room. There was no mistaking it, no denying it. Even if an impostor was wearing her face, those eyes belonged only to his Anna. "Why…Anna?" He had things he wanted to say, to shout, to confess and to scream, but nothing added up in his head. Everything fell to pieces as he watched his loving wife simply gaze at him. "Why must this happen to you…why?" He spoke in sorrow, hands trembling against the wall as he spoke. He could feel the emotion of depression provoking tears, but for some reason none would find their way to his eyes.

"I chose this path of free will, dearest Kratos. The Chaos that toils through me will create a beautiful new world of immaculate design. A place for new birth and life to unfold. Its voice ripples out from the ether and compels me, and so I shall obey its soothing, driving voice and be the subtle servant of my lovely Sovereign." She didn't even flinch when she felt a pair of rough, gloved hands grip her shoulders warmly and gently, and a pair of eyes as worried and sorrowed as anything she had seen gaze into her unwavering eyes.

"Anna, whatever has you trapped, tell me. I will free you from it, I will protect you Anna. Let me, please! **PLEASE!"** Kratos yelled as he stared desperately into his wife's eyes. His eyes shot even further open a moment later, this time in agony, when he felt a hand grip into his chest and begin twisting. Suddenly, Anna's eyes became solid and determined. "An….na?" He croaked in pain and sorrow, a tear finally sliding down his face.

"I **_am_** free, Kratos. I do this to free you, not for the opposite. This is my willing choice, and I will continue to make it." She spoke coldly before she drove her arm forward and launched Kratos into and through the wall of the inn, debris scattering around him as he slammed against the hard stone floor outside. The blotted out sun left the town looking and feeling even more deserted than it already was, with the few people that were here easily identifiable as angels. Kratos coughed blood out of his mouth as he felt air rush in, and moments later felt a hand grab his hair tightly and hurled him into the same building, his entire front slamming into the inn. He stumbled backwards after the impact, blood seeping out from his mouth and forehead, both which had been cut open from the impact. A vicious leaping roundhouse to the side of his head knocked Kratos across the floor.

"I'm sorry, dearest Kratos, but it now must end. I promise to protect you, and protect you I **_WILL!_**" Anna slowly placed the mask back on her face, a nigh silent locking sound filling the air around her as it did. Turning her head to Kratos, she waited from him to get back on his feet before charging the seraph. At the last moment, she threw her fist out to catch Kratos in the throat. A moment before the impact came, a strong hand grasped the would be blow in mid flight, tightening around it. In front of Kratos' eyes was a blur of blue hair and the back of a white battle shirt, and in front of Chaos' eyes was the face and frame of a battle hardened warrior.

"Then…allow me to assist." Regal spoke as calmly as he ever would, his hand gripping the fist tighter. Before Chaos could adjust, Regal delivered a snap kick to her stomach, pushing her backwards and away from Kratos. A pair of equally rapid side kicks caught the Testament in the face and neck, and pushed her back even further before Regal leaped into the air and unleashed a twisting sidekick to the side to her chest, hurtling her backwards. Regal landed on his feet and quickly adjusted into a defensive battle stance, while Chaos back flipped in mid flight and landed on her feet as well, skidding backwards a bit more before stopping.

"An interloper of Law…the voice of madness in a conformed tone. Your presence is both tainting and unneeded." Chaos replied angrily, her glare transcending her mask and reaching Regal, yet having no effect whatsoever.

"I apologize for my interference; however I feel I must step in at this point." Regal stated as steadily as he had his opening words, his eyes locked onto the masked Chaos. With no more words to be spared, Regal took off towards Chaos, side dashing to the left at the last moment and throwing another sidekick, which was deftly blocked. Without setting his extended foot down, he delivered three more quick kicks, each being blocked before his last one was grabbed. Chaos pulled on the leg and pushed forward, throwing a punch at Regal's chest. Regal was sure he had blocked it, yet the blow struck him in the left shoulder, followed by two suddenly blows after it. Just as quickly, Chaos went on the offensives, ripping out with a number of successful punches that were followed. As hard as Regal tried to block them, each slipped past what should have been sure fire block and hit home. A powerful sidekick launched Regal backwards as the barrage ended, leaving Regal panting.

His eyes slipped to her feet, where he noticed the first thing. She had three shadows, though two of them were very slight, as though they were formed on her body itself. Further more, he began to analyze his failed attack, and stood to full height. He had his eyes closed for a moment as he replayed the very brief skirmish of blows they shared, before he opened them again and stared at Chaos directly.

"I see now. Multiple shadows mean you can hit more than once with any blow you land successfully will be accompanied by a pair of duplicate blows." Regal analyzed, walking slowly before settling into stance. "Further more…you seem to have a degree of manipulation over the sense of sight."

"I'm inclined to ask how you managed to deduce the nature of this vessel for Chaos." She replied, standing in a completely relaxed stance. "Or…is it something that you simply tell by the sense of feel?"

"I shall not claim to have allowed you that fierce series of blow in the guise of discovering your abilities, but I will definitely admit to using a bad situation to my own benefit." Regal muttered before he once again charged. Once again, he dashed to the left at the last moment and loosed a front kick, waiting for the block before slamming his foot down and moving forward. **"GOLIATH PALM!" **Yelling, he drove his palm into her unguarded left side in a fierce strike, the air around the impact expelling outwards before flowing towards Regal, acting as a vacuum to keep Chaos from flying. **"TWIN TAILED DRAGON!"** Regal leaped into the air, executing a front flip effortlessly and slamming both heels into the back of Chaos' head, driving her into the grown. A croak of pain escaped the Testament, but that was all, as she slammed both hands into the ground.

"**SCORPION SWEEP!"** She screamed, swing her legs around and snapping Regal's feet out from under him. Before Regal could hit the ground, she pushed up to her knees with her hands still planted in the ground. "**RISING STALAGMITE!" **Chaos yelled as she launched both her knees up into the side of Regal's gut, pushing him into the air. Finishing the move, both her legs snapped outwards and planting themselves into the gut and launching Regal into the side of a nearby building. Now in the midst of a diagonal handstand, Chaos swung her feet around and positioned herself in a dash stance, launched herself forward and towards Regal.

"**RIPPLING CHAOS!!" **She screamed, as energy formed at the palms of both her hands. The palms came slamming down at where Regal was, however she missed as Regal slammed his hands into the side of the building just above his head and pulled himself upwards, the palms slamming into the wall and the energy blowing apart the side of the building. Regal leaped at the last moment and landed with his back to Chaos. Before the aforementioned Testament could retract her arms from the wall, a hooked back kick connected with the side of her head, knocking her sideways a bit. A rapid series of sidekicks followed quickly after, each one slamming Chaos into the wall a little more and more. Planting his kicking leg to his rear, Regal pressed his palms against each other and pulled his hands back to his left side, focusing his chi.

"**RAGING DRAGON!"** Regal yelled, driving both palms forward and opening his hands up, forming a hand figure in the image of a dragon's mouth. His blow connected squarely with Chaos' stomach, and shot her through the wall, sending cracks rippling around and through the entire building as the energy discharged from the mighty blow was transferred to the structure. Moments later, the building collapsed inwards, the roar of collapsing stone and mortar filled the air around him as the cloud of dust engulfed himself and everything around him, a massive plume shooting into the air and signaling the Heavens themselves before the noises finally ceased.

Regal slowly lowered his hands to his sides in a relaxed yet prepared manner. Although he felt as though it was over, something did not feel right. With his senses fairly dulled by the sudden event of a building collapsing, he was relying solely on his sixth sense, that of his chi, to alert him of any immediate threat. All of a sudden, three very sudden, very precise blows struck him at points of the spine, with two duplicate blows following each initial one. Regal let a choked yelled erupt from his lips as he collapsed to the ground panting. A hand took a hold of his hair roughly and lifted him abruptly into the air, making him airborne for a short moment, before a fierce kick to the throat hurtled him into the weapons hut, bringing the entire structure down around him. Coughing heavily, Regal stumbled to his feet and glanced at Chaos, who had suddenly become wrapped in what could only be described as the liquefied essence of madness. Kratos had tried to rush to his aid, but the surgical strikes had taken a lot out him and it was hard enough for the man to even stand.

The mask that Chaos wore began to turn into a massive collection of eyes, each blinking once before opening fully. The world faded from Regal's sight and he soon found himself floating in something akin to the abyss, with no light at all except from that of the frame of Chaos herself. Soon, words written in shining silver script began to swirl around her from her feet upwards, before forming into lines of a poem above her head.

_The Ether broils and burns from beyond, _

_Trapping the hallowed in its halls, _

_A gentle tongue that trails along your ears_

_Will let the voice from beyond ring clear._

_Her will deems it and so shall it be done,_

_Allow yourself to savor your fleeting peace chosen one_

_The Ether Echoes its call from beyond_

_See that which you believed-_

"**NOOOOOOOO!" **A loud, female voice screamed at the top of her lungs, as just in front on Chaos appeared another Testament, this one being Sorrow. Chaos could do nothing before the blunt end of a staff drove itself into her stomach, followed by a bludgeoning blow from the same blunt end to the side of the head, knocking Chaos to the ground. The darkness dissipated from the immediate area and Regal soon found himself struggling to stand in the ruined weapons hut. His eyes locked on that of the newcomer, finding himself staring at the classical theatrical mask for sorrow. Raising her staff into the air, which had a blade of a pair of opened hands conjoined at the wrist end edge of the palm, each of the five digits extended outwards and slammed into the ground around herself and Chaos.

"You shall not hurt him, Anna. You! Shall! Not!" Sorrow stated angrily yet with a depressed tone. Twirling the staff in her hand once, a series of circles formed in the ground beneath them, which soon lit up and shot a pillar of light into the air. When the pillar faded, Chaos and Sorrow were no where to be seen.

Collapsing to a knee and beginning to breathe again, Regal allowed a hand to swipe away a trickle of blood that began to form from a cut on his forehead. Despite this, his mind focused on one thing and one thing alone. Sorrow's spear, that blade on it was in the form of the hand positioning for his Raging Dragon attack.

'_The very same move I used…to end my Alicia's life…'_

* * *

A/N: DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUUN!!! So it is revealed. The greatest of fears are created. Kratos' dear sweet Anna is the very Testament of Chaos, the embodiment of the essences of madness, infinite, and all other things chaotic. More so than that, she is trying to protect Kratos by…killing him. Yet there was a warning and…well, is Chaos evil, or isn't she? Further more, secrets of Chaos' abilities are discovered. And…the hell was the thing she started doing at the end? And what happened to Lloyd and Mithos? And why did Presea turn into a whirling dervish of brutality when she used to be such a nice little girl. Guess y'all gonna need to wait for those answers. 

Pairing count!

Sheena/Zelos: 5  
Colette/Genis: 4  
Regal/Kratos: 2

People who voted for Lloyd or Mithos, or people who simply voted Kratos and no one, your votes have not been counted. I best suggest you recast your votes, so that they might actually be useful. With that being said, I am out. Peace.

**D-Wings:** WTF? Regal/Kratos... Man, I've thought about it... but... wow. Oh yeah, and I vote Sheena/Colette and Kratos/Anna!


	7. Chapter 7: Overcome the Sorrow

**Insaneiac: This chapter's title provided with help from Sylvia Viridian and can be found on the Rogue Galaxy OST. I suggest you all get and play that game until you suffer from sleep deprivation. And then have sweet, sweet dreams of Jaster and Lilika and all the possible combination of the words 'love', 'vines', and 'jungle' you can think of. I know I have, and some of them have even involved monkeys for some obscure reason. But never mind me nasty, nasty dreams that would make a preacher blush and possibly suffer from a mental breakdown. You're here for some Twilight!**

**Sylvia Viridian: Hi! I'm here for just this chapter 'cause Insaneiac needed a beta for it and his usual one couldn't do it. I'm so excited to be part of this project, and it's an awesome chapter, so enjoy!**

**Act One Theme Songs**

**Yuan: Everlong by the Foo Fighters  
Raine: Best of You by the Foo Fighters**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Namco does. I merely stand on the side and drool at it._

* * *

Chapter 7: Overcome the Sorrow

* * *

Regal Bryant had not moved since the second masked interloper had come into the brawl and saved him from something he could not explain. He could feel, not hear but feel voices wrapping around his body and restricting him. He could taste, not see but taste the words that were floating around Chaos, around Anna Aurion. He was sure that his life was to be extinguished by the enigma wrapped in unbalance, yet something saved him. A something that stood covered from head to toe and hid its true self from reality behind a mask that seemed to be crying. At first, he had though it was an emotional embodiment of sorrow.

'_No, not something.'_ He knew who it was a mere moment after the intruder had appeared. The voice, the presence, the symbolism with her weapon and even the words she chose to use in her brief interlude. There was not even a specter of doubt in his mind as to who his mysterious savior was. And with that knowledge was a sorrow that seemed to take the place of his once symbolic manacles. An invisible tear rolled down his cheek as he gripped his hands tightly into fists and felt the pain of loss well up inside of his chest.

"Alicia. You are alive." His voice held the hint of trembling to it as he vocalized his sporadic thoughts. "Should this feeling of sorrow truly be? Or should I be elated to know you still live?" Regal continued as he slowly brought himself to his full height and glanced down at his wrists. "If so, then why does this sorrow linger longer than your presence did?" In a sudden motion, Regal felt reality recommence around him, the sound of mutterings and panicked statements taking his attention firmly within grasp.

"Are you okay?!" A nearby soldier spoke, confusing Regal until he realized the emblem he wore on his shoulder plates. He remembers being told about the angelic faction that had devoted itself to Lloyd, or rather hearing about it on the side. "So much happened so quickly and when Lord Kratos had ordered us to come to your aid, we couldn't even find you."

"Yes, I'm fine." Regal replied calmly before glancing around. His battle hadn't exactly been collateral damage free. "You said you could not see me, despite the wreckage that is about this area."

"That was just it. We couldn't find you period. You or the woman who attacked."

"I see. Troubling." Regal spoke quietly as he rubbed his chin. Despite trying to consider more pressing things, his mind wandered to Alicia, to the sorrow that had wrapped itself around her and lingered where she had been. "I would like to talk with Kratos, now if it is possible."

"Of course, follow me." The angel swordian spoke in turn, turning around to lead off to his leader. As they did, Regal took the time to fully regain his composure. While his outside self was the picture of control and calmness that he opted to present himself in, his insides were a jumbled messed. All the years he had spent isolated and in constant atonement had created a strong inner sanctum for his emotions that allowed him to keep those valued expressions and feelings but also keep them within and contained. It took all of a minute to send ripples through that sanctum's walls and start cracks along the ridges. For the time, Regal would need to continue his containment of emotions.

The world was falling apart at the seams, and for him to allow his feelings free reign would likely be the folly that marks his downfall. _'We need first to get everyone together again, and then we need to try and find out what is becoming of Aselia.'_

_**------ Origin's Altar------**_

A similar sound to when they had disappeared rang out and filled the immediate area that they were in as a portion of the air began to seemingly fold over. The air began to wave about like ripples as the fold point unfolded a second time and closed into a ring like setup. One that was invisible to the eyes of any onlookers, if there were any to begin with, yet anyone could have felt the waves of strangeness that came from bent reality of melded nature to an ethereal design. Moments later, the oddity collapsed outwards and dispersed entirely through the clearing that belonged to the high summon spirit, Origin. In it stood two flabbergasted individuals.

"What the hell was that?" Mithos, still inside Lloyd's body, spoke in irritation while glancing around the immediate area. He paled considerably when he realized just where he was, and soon turned to make some distance in between himself and the stone. He stopped pretty quickly when he felt something, almost like a watery hand, gripped his throat tightly.

"Your presence was demanded, so your farewell is not one I will abide, Mithos Yggdrasill." The summon spirit of water, Undine, spoke commandingly with underlying apprehension. Turning her head slowly, she glanced at where the invisible owner of the body was standing, lost in entirety. "I apologize, Lloyd Irving, for-"

"Let him go…" Lloyd interrupted, glancing at Mithos for a second before glancing at Undine a little harder. "I owe him a couple for saving my life, and I'm starting now." He could tell that Undine was confused by his sudden defense, and scratched the side of his head nervously. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for him. I'd have been dead a couple times actually. A man has gotta pay his dues, right?"

"Except for the fact, Lloyd, that she wasn't going to kill me. She's just going to make sure I don't run along and play hide and go seek with summon spirits. Isn't that right, Undine?" Mithos replied smoothly, gasping as the grip tightened for a moment before he was tossed away. He landed rather unceremoniously on his rear, yet still smiled at the spirit. "Aww, you're still angry at me for breaking our little pact."

"**Enough."**A voice rumbled from behind the Lloyd and Mithos. The two slowly turned to come face to face with Origin as he floated above his altar stone and glanced down at the two Eternal Swordsmen. **"There is little time for games now, and far less for action to be taken on you, Mithos. Your act of transcending death by confining yourself within Lloyd Irving is something I would have dealt with instantaneously by wiping both Lloyd and yourself from existence, yet now I find it has a purpose to serve."**

"So, you and Undine can see me. How? I mean, I know I've got like none of this right, but isn't Mithos in the visible…body thing." Lloyd had been struggling to grasp what had happened to him from the get go, and was more than just a little lost at the point. A pair of summon spirits being able to see him didn't help clear things up much. "So…am I not invisible anymore, or can you guys see me, or what?"

"Duh Lloyd, they're summon spirits. They exist in both the physical and metaphysical realms of Aselia. Do you think they are called omnipotent purely for razzle dazzle?" Mithos replied unamused, smacking Lloyd over the back of his head. "I'm seriously going to have to start teaching you things you need to know. Like about summon spirits. I'll probably have to help you understand the basic alphabet too." Mithos muttered under his breath as he lowered his head and glanced at the ground. Mithos had suddenly become very aware of just how pretty the ground was looking.

"Origin…can you get rid of him?" Lloyd asked, hoping to worry Mithos. The reaction was minimal at best, as Mithos simply seemed to teeter towards Lloyd slightly.

"**Lloyd Irving…you do not understand the gravity of the situation." **Origin paused for a moment when his eyes landed on Mithos again. He realized that Mithos' posture was deteriorating, and his skin had been slowly bleaching into paler tones ever since he had arrived. **"And…despite his past offenses, he has proven himself to at least hold some degree of favor in regards to you, Lloyd. He is not a being purely obsessed with self-preservation. He has a reason for his continuing to exist. Undine, Mithos is about to collapse from the wounds given to him by Pain. Assist him immediately." **Origin commanded, just catching Mithos' eyes as he looked up. Lloyd suddenly swung his head to Mithos and saw what he didn't before. His savior was trembling weakly and nearly ghost white.

"Wow. You do still love me, don't you?" Mithos panted before falling backwards. Lloyd caught him in mid fall and stopped him from crumpling to the ground. For a split second he stared at Mithos in worry before realizing that he had two very powerful spirits watching him.

"He's…he's in my body. What if he broke something, or damaged my perfect face?" Lloyd stuttered in defense, trying to make it look like he did not just rush to help his sworn enemy. _'Of all the times to take something from Zelos, I choose now. I am such an idiot!'_ "Mithos, what's wrong! Why are you going all…dead and stuff on me now?"

"Duh, you idiot. Your body got trounced by Kvar. Did you honestly think that I healed the wounds away? I'm not a healer, Lloyd. I made your body believed it was healed and maintained it in that state using mine and your angelic energy. Seems I'm reaching my limit, and since you don't even know how to tap into yours…it means this body is going to start dying again." Mithos explained weakly as he began shivering. "I'm suffering from exhaustion right now. Albeit mana exhaustion but it's similar nonetheless." Mithos added with a chuckle that sounded more like light coughs. What neither of them saw were Undine and Origin exchanging worried glances at the mentioning of Pain's identity, followed by Origin shaking his head cautiously.

"**Lloyd…help him to the tree nearby and prop him up against it. We need to keep him alive." **Origin continued before glancing to his rear.

"_Yes." _A female, an equally as powerful and encompassing voice, echoed. Lloyd's head whipped up from Mithos and turned to see Mana herself hovering beside Origin. _"For your power Lloyd…is no more than a speck of dust against a coming tidal wave. For your world to see a new day, you will need Mithos Yggdrasill to both guide you and fight with you…or the Sovereign and her Testaments will finish the cycle that has continued for eons."_

Lloyd stared confused at the entity of Mana before glancing back at Mithos. "So, is that why Mithos ended up inside me like this?"

"_All will be explained soon, Lloyd. We must gather the Heroes of Symphonia within first, as these words have only the ability to be spoken once. This time, your enemy is not a half-elf who loves his sister or discrimination that threatens to destroy the world. This time, Lloyd Irving, your fight is against a tradition that has lasted for millions of years within the world of Aselia." _Mana continued to speak before turning to Mithos and staring softly. _"Our powers are not strong here, as this place is not connected directly to Aselia any longer. I will help to maintain Mithos' life, but he will need a healer's skill and soon if we want to keep his life preserved. For should he fade away, Lloyd, so will you."_

To this, Lloyd simply stared at the spirit in fear as he comprehended what she was saying. Her words were confusing, yet there was a clear message. He needed to keep his former enemy alive to stop something new from doing something bad. That was enough to convince him to help. Lifting up Mithos slowly, he stopped in surprise when he felt a pair of hands grip onto his forearm. Mithos was still unconscious, yet Lloyd saw suffering written on his facial feature.

"I can't believe I'm going to help keep him alive. I wanted nothing more than to get rid of him, and here I am helping him. Is the whole world just falling apart?" Lloyd muttered exasperatedly followed by a long sigh as he considered the entire world spinning out of control.

"_More than you know."_

_**------ ???? – Four Thousand Years Ago ------**_

"_Come here…" A man, sitting on top a throne made of the most beautiful of metals spoke. Two fully armed guards unceremoniously tossed a blue haired half-elf onto the steps that led up to his throne. "…Stand before me slave, and let me see your pride now." His voice was deep and powerful, like that of God speaking unto his people. The room that this half-elf and this man were in was a massive hallway that seemed to stretch to the opposite ends of the world. On each wall to the side were massive windows that had painted on figures of various Emperors and Sorcerers that had sat in and with the beautiful throne. A large flight of stairs stood at one end of the room, leading up to the throne that seemed to govern just as powerfully as the man upon it. The floor had a long navy rug that led from the door to the stairs, and on either side of the rug were massive pillars of sky blue and pearl white stone that connected the hard, black marble floor to the gray ceiling above them. Standing shoulder to shoulder in file were numerous soldiers and guards, while at the throne stood a single, majestically armored knight._

_The man upon the throne was almost as exotic looking as the throne he graced. His face was completely hairless, but he had a head of incredible blond hair of unnatural length, reaching below his shoulders and resting against his back. Around his forehead was a red cloth band of the twelve gems, known to all as the Band of Twelve Gods. They signified the Emperor of Elveran. He wore not an illustrious series of beautiful clothes, but rather a simple dark grey tunic with the emblem of his family upon it, and a pair of black pants to accompany them. On his hands he wore a ring upon each finger, and around each wrist was a bracelet of alternating onyx and pearl stones. Around his shoulders laid his black cloak with a brown upper section that covered his shoulders and hood, making it look as though he had an additional half-cloak on as well. Both sections of the cloak were trimmed with a shade of golden yellow, and was currently serving not as his cloak but as a cape of sorts. Upon his face was a callous smile as he beheld the foolish child that had gone to such lengths to see him. Not only had he broke into his incredible fortress, but he had killed eighteen guards before being restrained._

"_Kiss my ass, you foolish old tyrant!" The half-elf retorted. He seemed young, no more than fourteen for sure, and his youthful aura flared as he spoke. He wore black rags that seemed to be falling apart around the legs and sleeves, with a simple black cloak that had just as many holes in it as his rags did. He was aware of the guard approaching his left, and caught him before he could strike. A shoulder to the gut knocked the armored knight backwards, and a pair of smaller hands wrapped around the hilt tightly before pulling out the sword his would be assaulter carried. A quick swing from the weapon took a stunned guard across the throat and cut his neck open. As he crumpled to the ground and began to die, the half-elf charged up the stairs with the sword drawn, yelling in battle fury as he tried to stab the man on the throne. The shock from the sudden turn of events had left many of the other guards frozen as they watched a fourteen year old half-elf kill a full knight._

_He was blocked by the majestically armored knight with his illustrious cloak flapping around him. The half-elf growled and pulled backwards before swinging twice more, each blow being deflected. A third strike was enough to knock the half-elf off his feet, and as the knight when to strike down his half-elf attacker, his opponent drove his right hand into the metal plating and unleashed lightning into the armor, frying the man inside as if he was in an oven. The majestic knight crumpled backwards and gave a single death throw before passing on. Before the attacker could continue, the throne man came forward and kneeled beside the knight._

"_If you miss him, I'll be sending you to him soon enough." The half-elf growled as he pulled the sword back, dimly aware of the army of knights fast approaching him in full intent to slaughter the half-elf._

"_Half-elf…stop." The man spoke, grinning as he toed away the corpse. "He was known as Toll. He was the Final Guardian of my Royal Arcane Guard. He was considered the greatest mage in the lands. You destroyed him with not a passing glance and with nothing more than simple lightning. This powerful man here that could defeat whole armies was beaten by a child who can barely swing that heavy sword." The man chuckled as he held his hands up and ceased the guards charging. "So I will present you a choice. You can avenge your family that I crushed by striking me down…or I can give you the chance to change the world."_

_The half-elf, with tears now forming in his eyes, slowly lowered his sword. "What do you mean, change the world? Who gives a shit about the world!? You took my family from me…YOU KILLED PEOPLE I LOVE! I don't want to fix this stupid world…I just want to kill you for what you've done!" A despicable smile formed on the face of the man before him, causing the half-elf to flinch at its sight. "What are you smiling at, you bastard? WHY ARE YOU SMILING!?"_

"_Do you have a name, Half-elf?" This caused the sword wielding child to flinch for a moment and lose his emotional footing. Confusion settled in as he blinked before he reaffirmed his anger with words._

"_Yes. It is mine to do with, and you cannot have it." He spoke acidly, dimly aware of the entire Royal Arcane Guard now present as well. "You slaughtered my Father and brother…you tortured my mother because you thought she was a spy for the Ger'Arinth kingdom, until she died from it. You made her watch as you killed my own sister! I should kill you now."_

"_If you kill me, then nothing changes." The man replied, standing to his fullest height and glancing down at the half-elf with solid eyes. "The world keeps spinning, your foolish race keeps dying, families are destroyed and slaughtered under the name of treason, and injustice continues to spread. Only those with power can cause changes. Do you have power, slave, or are you merely a pathetic little boy who wants worthless revenge." The man continued before walking up to the half-elf and gripping his chin roughly. "What are you then? A child with a sword, or a man with power." He froze as he felt the strength of the emperor at his chin, wincing as he felt the hand tighten around his face. "Your name, what is it half-elf?"_

_A long paused followed as the blue haired youth glared at the smiling human before him. "Yuan." He finally spoke as he lowered his sword._

"_Yuan, your life until now was a pathetic and worthless one. Now you are reborn as my Final Guardian, and the commander of the Royal Arcane Guard."_

_Despite his words, Yuan's eyes never faltered from the man. "I will kill you."_

"_When that day comes, I hope your eyes do not flicker like a child on a killing spree. Kill me for something worthy, not for something as pathetic as revenge." The exotic man reprimanded before releasing his chin and walking back to his throne. "People of Elveran! I, the God-Emperor Caleb, bestow the title of Final Guardian and commander of the Royal Arcane Knights, upon this half-elf slave who calls himself Yuan. Know that his power is greater than yours, and that he is an extension of my hand." With a vicious smile, he glanced down at the people as they bowed before him before glancing at Yuan and enjoying his defiant glare of hatred. "Your life as the Hand of God begins now, pathetic boy. Become a man worthy to strike me down."_

_**------ Present Day – Renegade Base------**_

Slowly, Yuan felt life coming back to him. His body felt stiff and the wounds felt fresh, but there was life. His rather ornate suit that he had worn to the wedding was ruined, he first realized. Why this came to him before anything else would remain a great mystery of the time, but it did. From there, Yuan began to drag himself to his feet and then glanced around.

'_LaFillick…Toltus LaFillick… That son of a bitch is still alive. But I killed him. I watched him suffer horribly before I finally ended his pathetic little life.' _Yuan seethed mentally as the anger slipped to his face. Closing his eyes, he felt rage filling him. Toltus LaFillick. The human responsible for killing his Martel. He was still alive.

"The world is rearranging itself and that bastard still lives…after four thousands years he still lives." Yuan choked out as he began to limp towards the refresher room. He was trying to keep himself from remembering things, parts of his past that he had tried locking away. "DAMMIT!" He yelled as he struck out and punched a nearby wall. The sudden adrenaline was gone as fast as it was there and Yuan collapsed to the ground. "Why? I watched him die!" Yuan whimpered before grinding his teeth and pushing back up to his feet. His fingers shot up to a keypad on the wall, and the door soon opened to reveal the refresher room. He stumbled the last few steps to the refreshed and collapsed into it.

His eyes closed ever so briefly as his mind rolled backwards to the day his life had changed, before shooting back open. If his sub-consciousness wanted to force him to watch his past when he was knocked out, so be it, but he was not going to let himself reminiscence, especially about the man called Caleb. Forcing his mind back to the task on hand, Yuan pulled himself up and forced himself into a standing position over the machine and pressed his hands down onto the top of it and into the indentations.

"System activate, full refresh." Yuan croaked out, sighing blissfully as he felt the waves of technological marvels begin stitching his body up. "First, I'll get healed. Second, I'll get changed. Third, I'll get to Meltokio and stop whatever Toltus is going to do. He took Martel from me, but not even the end of the world itself is going to take Raine from me." Yuan growled as he let his healing begin, grinning as he felt his breathing start to smoothen and fall into pace. His mind found the humming of the refresher distracting and soon he found his thoughts drawn from Raine and Toltus and back to the man that turned him from a child to what he was now. The human ruler that saw past the half-elf and into the possibilities that hid themselves inside.

The man that ruined his life, forced him into a new one, and has been continuously ruining that one as well.

'_Even after your death Lord Caleb…I am haunted by you. Even four thousand years after your death…you still continue to exercise your hold on the events in my life.' _The thoughts that ran through his head seem to infuriate him even more than the weakness they signified, causing Yuan to dig his fingers into the machine angrily. He was losing his temper along with his grip on both his own past and his self-control. If there was one thing Yuan did not like, it was not having complete control of himself during a situation. He could begrudgingly handle not having control of an entire situation, but to not hold oneself in his own palms caused a lunacy to form within him. He hated it.

"Fine…" Yuan breathed out, closing his eyes as he began to isolate himself from the world, sinking into the cold and metallic shell that he wore during the battle against Mithos. "If Toltus is alive, so be it. This time, I'll make sure to take his head as a souvenir." Yuan spoke confidently as he felt things begin falling back in place.

_**------ Triet ------**_

"I suppose I should thank you for the timely rescue." Kratos spoke without lifting his head from the apparently interesting spot on the ground. Is was not a blatant show of disrespect for the man in front of him, but rather a sign of his growing inability to make eye contact with things related to his son. Kratos knew that Regal thought very highly of son, and was willing to protect him with everything he had. It was something that he both admired and envied about the blue haired male. Both had become dimly aware of the suffocating silence that had washed over them after Kratos' words had been spoken. Neither of the two were the talkative types to begin with, and even though the situation dictated that an explanation should be given, the quieter personalities of the two men seemed to be a nigh insurmountable obstacle on that specific path.

"That masked fighter…You know her." Regal spoke finally and breaking the silence.

"Depends on what you mean by 'know'." Kratos replied swiftly and without lifting his head. "There might have been a time where I did, but now I feel as though I never have." Regal did not need to struggle to see what Kratos was trying to say. His words were only a fragment of what he was saying. One needed to add his posture and tone into the words to truly grasp the meaning of the words.

"So, that is your loved one then."

"Why are you here?" Kratos spoke almost alarmingly quickly, starting just as Regal finished.

"Trying to find my friends. Why are you here?"

"She brought me here." Kratos spoke in response before lifting his head to Regal. "We need to find Lloyd, before it is too late."

"What?" Regal asked, his face shifting into one of confusion. "Why?"

"A half-elf, Kvar…he is alive. He is hunting Lloyd. He will likely kill him or torture him until he dies from it." If Kratos was worried about his son, his voice did not betray that. It was steady and faultless.

"Kvar…Lloyd told me about him. He is the one that killed Anna." Regal replied, noting Kratos' disposition saddening.

"Lloyd is wrong." Kratos replied as he stood up and gathered his equipment. "I killed Anna…not Kvar. No matter how much he wants to say otherwise, I know where her blood stains." Kratos finished before walking off. He made it two steps before he froze in place, cemented to the ground as a voice as powerful as infinity itself rang into his, and Regal's, head.

"_**Kratos, my former seal! Regal, guardian of the Eternal Swordsman! You two are needed!" **_

Before either of the men could turn to look at each other, a loud and all encompassing sound, like that of a tuning fork being struck, rang out into the area. Not even a moment later, the two disappeared from sight.

_**------ Renegade Base – A Short While Later ------**_

Yuan had shed his noble uniform that he had worn when he married his precious Raine, the second woman in his over four thousand year lifespan that was foolish enough to love him and that he was foolish enough to allow close to him. A loved one was a weakness that could be exploited, no matter how much one tries to protect it. He learned that, along with Mithos, over four thousand years ago. Now he was afraid that a second lesson was about to begin. Yuan was clasping his cape around his neck to complete his transformation from Yuan the groom to Yuan the leader of the Renegades. Now fully clothed and garbed, Yuan rested his hand on the weapon he had come to love, the Swallow, and stored it away in a compact wing box. Sliding the box onto his belt, Yuan brushed a strand of blue hair out of the way before turning to leave the base.

He was done with words that would reinforce his ego or build his drive. He knew what needed to be done. He knew where to go and what he would do. He also knew first and foremost that time was of the essence. Reaching the exit of the base in record time, Yuan allowed his velvet wings to blink into existence and beat against the cold air once. Despite the change in location, his former Flanoir base was still being snowed upon heavily, signifying that not only has the world changed dramatically, but so had its climate zones. Lifting his hand up to look at a palm shaped machine, he turned to face the direction of Meltokio.

He slid the machine into his pocket and glanced up at the cloudy sky. "I'm coming Raine." He muttered once before lifting off into the sky and flying as fast as he could towards Meltokio.

A mere foot from where he had been standing stood a white masked figure, who was silently following the half-elf in amusement. Gently, and in a nearly androgynous tone, he spoke to the invisible trail that Yuan left in his wake.

"Fly, my little nighthawk, fly. To the princess that freed you from the depressive little prison you crafted from loss. To the bosom of the woman that reminded you of what love tastes like. Go to her and be her knight in shining armor…so I can watch your life fall apart when you fail to protect this one as well. I want to see the weakness that you refuse, Yuan. I want to taste those tears you've stored away for every millennium that you have existed." Behind the mask, Toltus smiled as widely as he had ever smiled. Lifting his wisp covered hand into the air, he closed it around Yuan and rubbed his fingers together. "So fly fast, my little nighthawk…doom your love to a second grave and grow as cold as the ice that your heart is crafted from," Toltus finished before a gentle laugh escaped his lips. Lowering his wisp covered hand to his mask and pressing his palm against his forehead and staring up into the sky, his laugh picked up in strength, roaring up into the Heavens and filling the sky. Lifting his gauntleted hand into the air and closing it tightly, Destruction suddenly ceased laughing.

"Until then…fly." He finished before falling backwards and disappearing into the snowy surface that he stood atop.

* * *

A/N: Let me say this now…I love Toltus LaFillick. I love him because he's fun. Alright then, get your votes in if you haven't already, and tell your friends to read this story. Bribe them, blackmail them, kidnap their puppies and force them too if you must. There is no price too great to getting people to read Twilight. Well, except murder. No murder...alright, no murder that can be traced back to me. You can still murder. Pairing Count! 

Colette/Genis: 6  
Sheena/Zelos: 5  
Regal/Kratos: 3  
Kratos/Sheena: 2  
Sheena/Celsius: 1  
Sheena/Colette: 1  
Kratos/Anna: 1

Sheelos and Gelette are tied nicely, and Kragal is picking up steam too. I would have sworn that Kranna votes would have nearly suffocated me, but then again…I also would have sworn that Mithoyd would never get voted in. Congrats on proving me wrong again, jerks! You have until chapter ten to vote. At that point, we move to secondary pairings and the such.


	8. Chapter 8: A Prelude to the Tragedy

**Insaneiac: Welcome to chapter eight. This is the last chapter where your faces will be securely fastened to your head. That is because when chapter nine debuts…you are all going to be floored hardcore! I've been teasing friends with this for months now, but I'll go right out and say it. Chapter nine is going to blow your heads off. So be prepared for that. This chapter is going to tie up a few more loose ends before…well…hell breaks loose. Let me put it this way for my loyal Twilight fans. The twists that come in chapter nine are the best I've ever schemed. You will be getting the single greatest twists and turns that I have ever put together. But that's a chapter away, let us focus on this. This chapter's name is inspired by the incredible Xenosaga Episode 3. Truly one of the best RPGs of 2006. I instruct you all to buy it and to be amazed at its awesomeness. **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, three of the team would have died by the end of the game, Yuan would have replaced Kratos as a potential party member, and Mithos would not have died in the end._

**Tales of Twilight Main Theme: Overture to the Destiny by Motoi Sakuraba from the Valkyrie Profile 2 OST  
Death's Theme: Memories of The Day by Nobuo Uematsu from the Final Fantasy IX OST**

* * *

Chapter Eight: A Prelude to the Tragedy

* * *

The sky was a mix and match of gray tones. Some of these grays were a furious and strong one that seemed like smoke, while others where thin and dotted with holes like a cracker. Yet behind those thin clouds were often more clouds. The entire sky was one of clouds, ominous and threatening the land with rain. In some points, there was no rain that descended but rather flakes of crisp snow. In other places, the sky was black, like midnight. There was no visible sun in the sky and the clouds made it feel darker than it was. As eyes turned to the horizon however, they were met with a phenomenon of breathtaking proportions. On all sides on the planet there was a thin line of orange basked the landscape. Bright enough to provide a dim light but not enough to completely stop the cloudy darkness from engulfing the world. And it was like this all around the world. A thin line cutting a circle in the horizon of dusk orange. 

An unmistakable, unexplainable line of twilight. The artificial darkness that was caused by the clouds followed by the enigmatic line of light that still gave a glow to the heavenly body created a seemingly permanent twilight to engulf the land. It was like this everywhere on the world, and even high in the sky the line of twilight existed. It was as beautiful as it was bizarre and left many both dazzled and scared. None were sure of just what it meant, but all knew it was an omen of some measure.

Yet Yuan could not care any less about what it meant. When he compared the omen like twilight to what he already knew at the time, it faded away into an uncaring nothingness. He had only just been married and already something was interfering with his attempts at being happy. _'This is why I should never smile. Something will always go wrong when I am smiling.' _Yuan mused darkly as he flew through the murky skies and towards the city of Meltokio. All he needed to do was get within a specific range of Raine Sage and he would be able to find her. Not because of the love they shared acting as a connection between them, but rather due to the fact that her ring doubled as a locator as well, which he could track on his map. In a way, it could be a statement of how his love is guiding him, but he would be caught dead before admitting to something so utterly sappy. Yuan was many things, clichéd ranking high among them, but he was not a sappy person.

"Perhaps it is a bit of paranoia, but it looks to have paid off in the long run." Yuan muttered, seemingly to himself, as his violet wings beat against the intangible mass of clouds that varied in thickness. "Of course, I'm not going to be surprised if she doesn't take it too well." Yuan said almost jokingly. His mind seemed to get quite unhappy with this as it was an obvious indication that Zelos and Lloyd were having an effect on him. Not only that, but he knew that he needed to be serious now, or he might find himself cradling a dead Raine in his arms instead of embracing her warmly. _'No more happy, Yuan. You can not afford to be happy now. Unless you want to spend the next four thousand years of your life dead to the world because Kloitz took you-'_

It was at that point that Yuan's entire body went as rigid as a corpse and his eyes shot open like plates. A moment later his mind forgot how to continue flying and he was spiraling towards the ground the moment after. He managed to pull himself up to decrease the speed of the descent but could not stop it all together and plowed into the ground powerfully as his flight came to an abrupt end. Yuan's body was tossed along the ground like a ball rolling down a rocky hill, causing various sounds of pain to escape his body. After one more sickening bounce took him, he landed awkwardly on his side and slid to a stop. He let a croak escape his lips which was followed soon by blood, which painted the earth to the side of his head in crimson. Slowly he began to breathe, although it was erratic and instable but a sign that he had not wound up completely dead from his landing. Growling once, Yuan rolled himself off his side and onto his back. He cringed in pain as he felt parts of his body growl back at him. His breathing began to steady itself and his mouth soon found the necessary energy to function again.

"Why is Kloitz in Meltokio!?" Yuan growled. His emphasis did not come on the name of either the place or the person, but rather the initial word. "I never…" Yuan growled out before stopping. Slowly he began to slow his breathing as he pushed to his feet, nearly collapsing. His body took a rather hideous beating. And his cape now had a nice tear in it to boot. "Kloitz, why the hell are you in Meltokio? What do you want with Raine?" Yuan asked the sky around him as he rotated his arm slowly, cringing as he heard a sliding pop as the limb rearranged itself during its motions. His body was hurt, there was no doubt to that, and even a pineapple gel at this point would just banish the pain. The actual injury would still linger. Knowing this, he still reached into a pocket and popped one into his mouth. A content sigh escaped his lips as the unforgiving pain subsided.

He had changed from his wedding attire to his iconic leader garb and had, just moments prior, maintained a rather well kept appeal to him. His rather uncouth landing had not caused his garb to tear or rip at all, which was most likely due to the fibers used to make the outfit. It was however matted with a fine layer of earth that was kicked up during his amazing freefall. After checking himself fully and decreeing that he was still alive, he pulled his locator out and glanced at it. It was mostly undamaged, which meant that fate was smiling upon him. At least in some fashion.

"Whatever you're doing in Meltokio, Kloitz, I'll be sure to see you as well." Yuan growled as he slid away the slightly damaged locator and sprout his wings again. He could see the top of Martel Temple in the far off distance and assumed that Meltokio was nearby. After all, his map had shown that the two had gotten closer. Everything had, since the world had become essentially one huge continent of mixed and matched properties. Firmly shaking his head once and then brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his eyes, Yuan closed his mind off to the outside world and allowed his more cunning and calculative side to take over and take control of the situation. A few deep breaths was all Yuan needed before his eyes snapped open and his wings blinked back into existence, and then Yuan was back to flying towards Meltokio.

He had banished happiness from him, seeing that he could not afford happiness to be a primary feeling at the time.

This had become business as usual for Yuan.

_**------Origin's Altar------**_

Much like the first time, a pocket of air seemed to curve in on itself followed a repeat in the sound similar to a tuning fork being struck. This caused both Mithos and Lloyd's attention to be drawn to the center of the clearing as the air spread out and allowed two new ones to come into existence, gently landing on their feet in the same fashion they had been gathered from. Mithos, who was leaning up against a tree around the edge of the clearing and breathing irregularly, smiled as the newcomers came into view and in a far more graceful manner than his own had been. Nearby, Lloyd saw Kratos as one of the two arrivals and nearly back flipped.

"DAD!" Lloyd yelled at the top of his lungs while leaping to his feet and smiling. "What are you doing here?!" When no response came at all, Lloyd shrunk into his shoulders before glancing at Mithos, who was laughing at him. "I thought I could be seen here." Mithos was about to poke fun at the slightly disheartened Lloyd before another voice cut his at the root.

"Lloyd?" Kratos muttered questionably as he saw his son, in an uncharacteristically white version of his typical traveling clothes, leaning against a tree and looking sickly pale. Despite his skin tone, he had been laughing as though something was funny, leading Kratos to try and figure out just what was causing his laughter. What interested him was that he was not looking towards anything in particular as he was laughing, yet all the same he was focused on one spot.

"It seems your son is safe, in a manner of speaking. Though his laughing at thin air is a bit stranger than usual for him." Regal spoke as he assessed the scene. Regal's eyes had lingered on his former companion for only a moment as they scanned the area for noticeable discrepancies. That was when he looked up. "However there is something wrong. Look at the sky."

They sky was completely different from what they had previous been standing under. It was a flawless blue sky that was completely free of clouds. Not even a blotch of evaporated water lingered in it, the sun bearing down on the clearing. Yet one could not feel the sun bearing down on them. As one looked closer at the sky, they found they could stare at the sun and not have to squint or cover their eyes. The heavenly light was even a noticeably stronger shade of yellow, which was odd for the star. The sky looked painted and despite the light, it was almost as though the sun didn't provide any of it. Suddenly the denizens of the clearing felt as though it was lying to them.

"Wow…Big Blue there catches on quickly." Lloyd (or rather Mithoyd) spoke, drawing the attention onto his figure as he grinned at Kratos and Regal. "Yup, this place isn't real. It's an…illusion. As big a lie as peace on Aselia." He spoke in a half dramatic, half mocking tone, carrying the first syllable of 'illusion' a little longer than normal. "This place, while real to us, does not exist in all actuality."

"Lloyd…are you alright?" Kratos spoke tentatively, glancing worriedly at his son. The worried glance had managed to shine through for a portion of a moment before Kratos' eyes turned impassive once more.

"Mithos, stop!" Lloyd yelled from beside Kratos, waving his arms angrily. "Dad, it's Mithos! I'm right beside you! LOOK AT ME!" Lloyd yelled but to no avail. "OH COME ON!" His eyes turned on Mithos again, who was smiling at Kratos like an idiot. "Don't you dare, Mithos. DON'T YOU DARE!" But he could tell Mithos had ignored him entirely. It made him angry.

"I think so…" Mithoyd began, tilting his head slowly. "I had a horrible nightmare before you got here though…daddy had lost his mind and stabbed mommy a couple thousand times." He feigned an undertone of fear as he taunted Kratos. Kratos, in turn, paled considerably as his son's words cut into his body, and his often reserved face had soon cringed into a painfully shocked one. It was too good of an effect to be true, and even Mithos felt taken aback by its strength. Regal, however, was not fooled by the display of cruelty, and bore a dagger filled glare into Mithoyd. That was nothing, however, compared to the glare of pure malice that was coming out of Lloyd's eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!" Lloyd yelled as he glared at his body venomously. "HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT!?" He followed just as angrily. He was holding himself back by sheer willpower alone, since attacking his body would not serve any grand purpose other than helping along the dying process. Mithos simply turned his head weakly to Lloyd and grinned before turning back to the still pale Kratos.

"So…what have you done to Lloyd, Mithos?" Regal spoke in a deathly calm. He watched Kratos compose himself slowly, before turning his attention back to Mithoyd. While Kratos always exuded an aura of preparation from any stance he chose, Regal had simply tensed the various muscles about his frame and shifted his face into a much less relaxed one. It made the composed Duke look like a lion prepared to pounce.

"Okay, Regal…no killing me." Lloyd said offhand as he tried to get the attention of his blue haired comrade. "Killing me is bad. Very bad." He could almost hear Mithos speaking in his head. _'Wow, now you're not even trying.'_ Lloyd was suddenly afraid that his brain had taken after Mithos in a fashion. "Though right now…I'm tempted to kill me…" He could feel Mithos flinch at the way he had said that.

"Lloyd's alright. The idiot was almost killed by Kvar…" Mithos became distracted and turned back on Kratos. "…How is it that you can kill your wife so expertly but you can't even keep a lowly peon like Kvar dead, huh Kratos? I thought you had some use to you still, even if you were a traitor and a human at heart." Mithoyd managed a grin as Kratos flinched noticeably. Even though he knew that the real words where Mithos' words, it hurt him deeply to here his son's voice address him like that. Before Mithos could continue his onslaught against Kratos, he was knocked from the side of the tree and face planted into the dirt. Both Kratos and Regal stared with wide open eyes at the sudden display of…well, neither of them was sure just what it was that was displayed, other than Mithoyd displaying a sudden case of vertigo.

"LLOYD!!" Mithos yelled, glaring up at where he had just been. "The hell is wrong with you moron?! You want to damage your body anymore than it already is!?" To Mithos at least, Lloyd glared viciously at him and held a fist up in front of him.

"Don't you dare insult my mother like that, or that she died! It's your fault to begin with Mithos!" He growled before smacking the side of Mithos' head and garnering himself a cold glare. "And don't you ever…EVER…say things like that to my dad." Lloyd was beyond angry in this case. He was absolutely livid with the half-elf that had not only attacked his father verbally but had also done so with his own voice.

"Feh, why should I care if my actions killed some worthless human? They had it long coming Lloyd, and you know they still do!" Mithos spat back. Kratos was inches from pulling his sword on Mithos, but felt himself stop his hand when Mithos was magically lifted off the ground and slammed back into the tree he was just leaning on. "Lloyd, you moron! Do you know how much concentration it takes to keep our body from turning into a bloody mass? Your slamming me around is just going to make that HARDER!" Mithos was carrying both an angry tone and a worried one in his voice as he addressed thin air. His hard voice was not simply due to his anger; it was his only way to defend himself. He had no strength to fight off Lloyd right now.

"Then stop insulting my mother and I'll start taking more care with _my_ body." Lloyd spat back as he glared into Mithos' eyes. It unnerved him slightly when a smile wormed its way onto Mithos' lips. "What?"

'_Jackpot'_ Mithos thought silently as the smile widened. "Alright Lloyd. I'll leave your dead mother alone, but in return I get to stay with you in this body." Mithos replied deftly as he watch Lloyd's hands remove themselves from his collar and allow him to collapse to the ground. "That'll be my rent. Respect for the dead. Or you can continue your little exorcism attempts and I'll go right ahead and keep on trashing the dead humans. Deal?"

They had remained silent for a very long time now, and slowly turned to each other during the negotiation session. Kratos and Regal spared a single moment of eye contact before turning back to Mithoyd and glaring flatly at him. The aforementioned third member turned his head away from the specter of Lloyd and to Kratos and Regal, smiling as though nothing had happened. It was also a smile that said, in a very loud and exuberant tone, "I won!" which was something left Kratos unnerved even further.

"Like I said…this idiot got carved up by Kvar and I had to intervene to keep him alive. Like must teenagers, he decided not to listen to his father's advice. I thought myself that "don't die" was very sagely words, but we are talking about Lloyd here. Anyways, I was attacked with a very powerful magic that not even I could master in my lifetime, and was forced to retreat. Origin calls me and Lloyd and we appear here. OH, and now the wounds that spell cast are slowly killing me and I need you to help heal this body." Mithos explain in a rushed fashion, weakly waving his hand at the end. "In other words, Origin is assembling us. Something big is happening or whatever. I don't really care for anything more than killing Kvar for hurting my…" Mithos stopped talking as he realized what effects his true words might have towards his goals. "…well…kicking my ass like he did." Not even Kratos had noticed Mithoyd's eyes flicker towards nothingness. Lloyd did not see Mithos glancing at him protectively._ 'And for hurting my Lloyd. No one hurts my friends…my family…my precious people.'_

"If Origin is calling us together, we should be more worried than anything else. After all, something powerful must be coming to existence." Regal stated to himself before addressing the group. "You had said Kvar is alive?"

"Yes. He's now some freaky testament thing. He introduced himself as Pain…fitting for the peon. It was a pain just acknowledging his whiney little existence in the first place." Mithos replied off hand and watched Kratos' eyes shoot open. "And you've seen one too I'm guessing. Lemme guess Kratos, the Testament of "O Woe is Me?" Mithos' head suddenly shot forward slightly, as though he was smacked. A short glare at nothing and a pause later, and Mithos was focused again. "Kvar called himself the Testament of Pain. Said he was sent to kill Lloyd. He was not very happy to see me, I can tell you that. In fact, he was down right horrified. However…" Mithos paused as he replayed events in his head. "In the long run, he actually seemed to not only understand but adjust to it. It was almost like he was expecting me."

"Testament of Pain, and the Testament of Chaos…" Kratos began and accompanied his words with a detesting sigh. "Obviously there is a pattern. Chaos referred to a "she" on more than one occasion."

"And the third one that came in…that left an overwhelming sorrow in her wake." Regal added. He paused while everyone turned to him. "The third to show herself is Alicia. Of that I am positive." They knew who Alicia was, and suddenly there was sympathy in the eyes of the invisible member of the foursome and empathy in the eyes of Kratos, all though well hidden.

"And so, as of now, we can identify that we are fighting against Kvar…" Mithos spoke before pausing to glance at Kratos, and hoping he found out anything about this Chaos. "As well as this Alicia figure, who I'm gonna guess the Blue Bomber here has history with."

"Chaos is Anna." Mithos' head shot to where Lloyd was when Kratos stopped speaking, seeing his comrade suddenly stopped moving entirely. He ignored Kratos and Regal entirely in that instance, for his worry was solely that for Lloyd. Hearing any version of "your mother is our enemy" always burned itself into the soul. For a moment, Mithoyd's eyes softened as he watched Lloyd simply stand in shock. He realized even more than he did when Kratos had reacted to his words that this was tender for his kin. Lloyd was as much his own partner as he was Kratos' son, even if he did not realize yet. He let a long sigh out before he felt himself take to a course of action, despite the obvious pain that would follow.

"Great Kratos. Just great." Mithoyd growled before swinging his head back and glaring at the human. "Tell me, does anyone you kill actually stay dead?" Suddenly, everyone watched Mithoyd's head jolted forward as though he were just struck. "LLOYD, YOU BASTARD!" He screamed as he rubbed the back of his head in pain. "You're gonna be the one that kills us, not a bloody Testament."

"_Yes Lloyd…for now, please refrain from hurting your body, as it is important that it as well as the person within stays alive." _A woman's voice spoke, taking attention upon her. All eyes rested upon the body of Mana as she walked in front of Kratos and then stared steadily into his eyes before staring into Regal's eyes as well. _"Kratos, Regal, please help to heal Mithos and Lloyd's body. It is of the gravest importance that he survives."_ Both Kratos and Regal stared at each other before looking back at Mana and nodding.

No more words were needed. Mana had spoken and that was more than enough for the two adults.

_**------ Zelos' Manor -----**_

Zelos had managed to get his pants back on his freshly washed being when a pounding came at the door. Sighing out, Zelos grabbed the white vest from his outfit and slipped it on before going down the stairs. Sebastian had already opened the front door, but as any proper housemaster, one needed to be there for introductions.

"Sebastian, why the hell is Zelos' house in the middle of-" The speaker paused while trying to figure out just what forest this was, sighing miserably after giving up, "whatever forest this is." Sheena's voice belted out even though her body couldn't be seen.

"Good question, my voluptuous hunny." Zelos answered, and he could feel the sigh in response. "And another good question would be why is my sexy li'l contortionist romping through said forest?" Zelos fully expected Sebastian to be shoved away as Sheena went to the slaughter, but instead he watched as she was half carried in by Presea. "Okay, my li'l contortionist and my beautiful rosebud." He amended

"This humor is not appreciated at this time Zelos. Please refrain from it." Presea spoke in a computer like fashion. It had been the first time she spoke since saving Sheena from the rapists, and the alarming lack of emotion attracted all the attention in the room. "Interesting." She added at the end.

"Presea…you alright?" Zelos spoke as Sebastian took Sheena from Presea's and helped her towards the couch in the living room. She smiled weakly and nodded at him, before attempting to glare a hole into Zelos' head.

"To be precise, I do not feel any emotional presence at this time." She talked about it like she was simply dictating fact instead of referring to her own state. "I must clean my weapon, or the blood will lower the quality of the metal. I will need to utilize your washing facilities for this." Presea stated monotonously before marching up the stairs. What she had failed to state was that she was a bloody mess herself. Glancing over to Sebastian, Zelos nodded his head once. Getting the hint, the butler and guardian left to follow up the stairs with Presea. As Zelos turned around to close the door, he saw something staring at him from the edge of the woods, wearing a piggish smile on his face.

"GAH!" Zelos screamed before slamming the door shut and locking it. It took him two minutes before he began stomping his feet and shaking his fist at the door. "DAMMIT! I will get you, you frigging Lloyd-Pig." Zelos yelled before storming off towards where Sebastian had taken Sheena. Despite the door being in the way, he could feel the eyes of that boar following him. Mocking him.

"So, Zelos. Why are you going off the deep end and using Lloyd's name to describe a pig?" Sheena asked meekly as she ate some nearby cheese that was left on the table. She had been draped against the couch by Sebastian, who had also brought her the food and drink. "Frustrated?"

"The pig tried to rape me." Zelos spoke in a highly unamused form. Sheena, however, nearly died laughing.

"So let me get this straight. You call a pig Lloyd because it tried to have surprise sex with you? Did I miss a tale of what happened on your journey, oh great pervert?" Sheena blurted out as she laughed at the thought of Zelos getting taken advantage of by Lloyd.

"Whatever." Zelos said flatly. That stopped Sheena from laughing and soon had her fixated on his face. This was the impassive Zelos. This was the Zelos that showed up when Genis had died and had become a fundamental component of the former chosen. It was also something that made him very hard to laugh at.

"In any case, your clothes are ripped and tattered and you look like hell, Sheena." Zelos continued, still with his less playful side. He was also still aware that, aside from the light cloth vest, he was without clothing on his upper half. "I don't think we have time for showers all around, since Presea is giving her chopper a good scrubbing." As if on cue, Sebastian came down with a set of clothes. A set of Sheena's traditional traveling clothes. Right down to the illustrious bow she wore around her waist. "If you want to go ahead and get changed, I'll go see if I can dig up a deck of your cards."

"Hold it RIGHT THERE!" Sheena yelled just as Zelos made his second step. She swapped glances from the clothes to Zelos twice before continuing. "What the hell are you doing with my clothes? AND MY CARDS?!" Zelos paused for a moment before turning around and facing Sheena. He placed his arms on his hips to show off his well managed upper body and was wearing the most perverted grin a man could wear.

"Well you see, my voluptuous hunny, sometimes I like to dress up like a girl when I'm…doing what I do best." He added a wink here, which only served to deepen Sheena's growing horror. "And you have the best kinds of clothes for kinky cross dressing sex so this led to that and…"

"Zelos…" Sheena said very softly. Although it sounded soft, the air around her died as it was cut into pieces by the bladed tone it actually had. She lifted her head and her eyes were throwing fire at him. "I am going to strangle you to death…with your own hair…as soon as I am calm enough to remember how to move." Sheena seethed out through clenched teeth. In response, Zelos simply waved a hand in the air dismissively before speaking up in his defense.

"And you continue to prove that your lovely chest is the only well endowed part of your body Sheena." Zelos spoke and added along side a sigh. Pulling upon a drawer, Zelos grabbed one of Sheena's standard card decks and tossed them onto the clothes. "My mansion became quite a popular stop during the journey, Sheena. As such, Lloyd and I decided to stock it as a waypoint. And lo and behold…look where we have stopped. Get dressed while I check on Presea, then we should get moving and try to find Lloyd and company." And before Sheena could add anything else, Zelos had already left the room.

Ignoring one of his two guests going into a fit of rage, Zelos quickly detoured into his master bedroom and spent the last few minutes getting his outfit put together completely. "Back in good and comfortable clothes." Zelos spoke before he popped in the bathroom to see Presea scrubbing the axe methodically, his rather expensive bathtub now a mess of blood and internal organs. "Sweet God Presea…what did you do? Extinct a species?" While his words were more serious, his tone was typical of Zelos: light-hearted and realistic to the untrained ear.

"Extinct is not a suitable verb." She replied as she continued scrubbing. He noticed that she had already changed into her clean clothes, which confused him as to why she wouldn't change until after the axe was clean. "In this circumstance, I had encountered a group of rogues that were about to engaged in forced sexual intercourse with Sheena. My emotions became a mass of disorganized," Presea paused speaking as she scrubbed her axe again; conjuring up the right word for it, "…motivation. I proceeded to slaughter all of the rogues except for one, who ran off. It is logical to assume that the berserk rage I had proceeded to display is the direct cause of my emotional loss at present. A potential after effect of the usage of such raw emotional force."

"…So you went psycho and slaughtered a bunch of thieves like sheep?"

"Blunt, but an acceptable summary of the events." Presea responded without a hint of humor. Two more scrubs and Presea dropped the ruined sponge into the ruined bathtub and stood up, walking out of the ruined bathroom. She paused when she saw Sheena standing just outside, garbed in her ninja clothing.

"Time to go." Sheena said once. Shortly there after, the sound of a tuning fork struck the air and the three who had just been outside the bloodied washroom disappeared. Moments later, Sebastian walked by the opened bathroom door and stopped. He paused for a moment to stare into the ruined bathroom, frowning distastefully at the bloodied sty before he simply closed the door and walked off.

_**------ Martel Temple – Death's Sanctuary ------**_

The letter was bad.

Any less of a person might have found herself disheartened and weakened by the words. The hatred that mingled in those words was a pure one that thrived with malicious intent and complete disdain, which would have brought almost anyone to tears. Even someone hard built like Regal might have found himself struggling to maintain an aura of control. They had the edge to them that could slice through emotional tissue and leave a scar that would never quite heal.

Too bad for the letter that the person it tried to scar wore an emotionless suit of armor that had only once been cut. Albeit that cut cleaved through this armor and cut the person within it deeper than anything else could have ever possibly done so. Those words met a hard impact against a suit of freshly repaired emotional fortitude and bounced off it like a ball off of pavement. Each cut that followed was weaker than the last as it went up against the suit, until she read the final word and simply glared. She was sure she could have lit the letter aflame with simply her mind.

Raine Sage was not going to allow a simple letter to undo what a year and a bit of life with Yuan had repaired. She would never admit to Yuan making her feel like a real woman or things as inane and cute as that. But if Yuan had not found her in the alleyway, then that armor never would have been repaired and she would have either been dead or so close to it that it would not have mattered anymore. To let something like a letter, even if it was possibly from her father, break that armor would be an insult to what she gave to Yuan.

She even found some ironic humor in the letter, as her apparent father blamed her for the entire family crumbling apart, while she blamed her father. It was something she considered quite strange, however, that a letter so scathing written by a man that claimed to be her father only managed to garner a dry and borderline humorless laugh out of her.

So here she was. In the basement level of the Martel Temple, where Lloyd and Colette had discovered and procured the Sorcerer's Ring. She was only here in passing once, and the architecture nearly made her stay for good. The unique glass second level was completely unlike anything she had seen at the time, and even though she knew now that it was Welgaian based architecture, she still held high opinion for it. As she turned the corridor, she drove the bladed end of her staff into the face of a zombie that had attempted an ambush, killing it almost instantly. Her typical staff had been updated, again with the help of her newlywed husband, to a kind of staff sword. It held the same properties has a regular healing staff however now, instead of an enlarged top piece to it, there was a long blade that curved upwards.

Yuan had called it a Crescent Blade. He had given her some training with it as well, allowing her to show off a more physical side to her persona. Raine was still by no means a great warrior, but those that simply mistook her as a healer often found themselves dispatched from existence. It was a weapon that looked heavier than it actually was, and could be wielded with a deathly display of agility in the hands of a dexterous person. She had hid it in a wingpack that Yuan had slipped her before the wedding, and was grateful that he had done so. The Half-Elf paranoia-syndrome saved lives, or so she had begun to say.

She had given the weapon a name, much like Yuan had named his weapon the Swallow. She named it Nighthawk, due to the black lines that ran parallel to the blade and the etched in symbols of beautiful wings that decorated the blade, also black. Against the silver blade, it looked stunningly beautiful and felt incredibly powerful. It reminded her of Yuan every time she laid eyes on it.

Garbed in the her traditional traveling garb that was left for her by her father, Raine had made her way to the temple as quickly as possible, and was been fighting her way through weak monsters all the way long. And here she was, standing before a set of large double doors that flickered and wavered like a black inferno. It was like the denizen of this room had left a sign welcoming her in. Twirling Nighthawk in her hand once, Raine went to push open the door and instead found herself pulled in and through the doors. Even getting something she didn't expect, she didn't let a squeak of surprise out. Merely her eyes opened widely and then narrowed as she was sucked in.

On the other side was a complete abyss. Thick blackness was everywhere around her, like a fog, and she could even breath the murky darkness in. It was a tangible darkness that, while not suffocating, did make breathing hard. She took a second to look at herself, not surprised by the fact that she could still see her body perfectly, before walking towards the only other source of light inside the room. She felt like she was walking in slow motion, a sensation that she allowed to play upon her mind for a moment before returning towards getting to her destination. After what felt like an hour of walking against the abyss, everything thinned considerably and pushed outwards around her, leaving Raine standing free of the restricting darkness upon the glass upper level of the room. All around her the darkness seemed to cling to the walls and pillars, painting the room black and giving her the eerie feeling of being inside a shadow. When her eyes turned to the glass floor, it was no longer the regular shade, but rather a barely translucent violet.

"Welcome, Raine Sage…my lovely daughter, to my temporary abode." A poetically calm yet unkind voice spoke. Raine found her attention returned to the center of the room, where there was a six-foot-five humanoid inferno of pure black. One arm was raised into the air and she could see a slightly less black hand raised up into the air, a ball of light hovering just above his fingertips.

"And you are the person claiming to be Kloitz?" Raine said dryly, not noticing his ever so slight flinch.

"Claiming? Heh heh heh. Raine…I claim nothing." Death replied as he flicked the light into air and dropped his arm to his side. The ball floated up in the air and hanged there, the light orb obviously the source of light for the room that never vanquished the shadows. "I am Kloitz Sage, the Black Testament of Death. I am the Sovereign's Royal Right Hand and the harbinger of her eternal will. More importantly than that, I am your father, Raine Sage." He spoke in an epic manner, as though her were preaching, yet still maintaining the poet's tone to his voice. "And I am very…disappointed in you." Perhaps not a poet's tone, now that Raine listened. He spoke almost in a highly educated manner. The way someone gifted with intelligence might speak in formal situations.

Raine was unamused.

"Are you going to kill me or are you going to continue with your gospel-like speeches?"

"Kill?" Death spoke, laughing as the word faded into nothingness. "Raine…" There was no gentle voice anymore. It had grown cold, vicious, and full of darkness. "…I am here to make you suffer and plead to die. You've single handedly destroyed my family. You killed my precious…precious son, you were directly responsible for turning my wife into some pathetic basket case of a woman too broken to even be looked at, and you had the biggest hand in my own untimely demise. Raine, my goal here is to watch you suffer every possible pain I can think of before I take your dirtied soul and plunge it into the greatest lake of fire Hell might have."

A grim smile worked onto Raine's face. "Kloitz, I'm having doubts about being related to you. I don't think I could be related to such a complete and utter fool as you." When Death flinched at the name, her eyes opened in a confused manner before narrowing again.

"Oh my. You must truly feel like that was an insult. Do not fool yourself though Raine. I _am_ your family. I am far from proud of that statement, but it is a complete truth Raine."

"Why don't we get this over with?" Her words said one message, but her voice said another. That she was tired of the gospel like dramatics and she did not believe at all that this man wrapped in black fire was her father.

From behind him, a massive and wicked scythe formed from the shadows. Its wicked blade stretched out almost as long as a broadsword did, curving in at two separate points to give the weapon a pair of hooks to rip through flesh. The blade itself was as dark as the shadows that spawned it, with red lines of arcane qualities running along the blade. The parts of the weapon that were not the blade flickered and twisted in the air like the rest of Death did, flowing about in the air as it continued its ever slow dance. However, the staff of the scythe was far longer than most, and as Death swung the weapon out in front of him, one could see why. On the other end of the staff was a massive, circular axe head that was just as black as the scythe blade. Similar lines of arcane red curved through the blade and pulsed in tandem with the lines in his scythe. To call the weapon demonic would be an insult to its true intentions.

And this figure of death was holding it out towards her, parallel to the ground, with one hand. A weapon that looked so incredibly heavy that was being wielded as though it were a feather. That scared her.

"If you so please to, my dearest failure of a daughter. I will proceed to hurt you in the ways your murdering of Genis never could." Death threatened as he began to slowly approach Raine. "Do not be afraid to scream in agony. I believe our ancestors deserve to see their defiler writhing in pain."

* * *

A/N: Oh gods…the next chapter is going to send people over the edge. Well, latest pairing count as it is. Keep em coming folks. 

Colette/Genis: 8  
Sheena/Zelos: 8  
Kratos/Regal: 6  
Kratos/Anna: 5  
Sheena/Celsius: 3  
Kratos/Sheena: 2  
Sheena/Colette: 1  
Zelos/Genis: 1

You have until the next chapter to vote, and then polls close. Chapter 10 is the date for the revealing of pairing number three.


	9. Chapter 9: Lost Resolution, Part I

**Insaneiac: Here we go. Chapter nine. I've been warning you all up until now to make sure your faces are securely fastened. Oh, and people that want to kill me after this chapter, please do not use Mapquest. I don't show up on it. I'm invisible. Also, voting ends a week after this goes up, so you all best get those last votes in. Also, inspiring song is Lost Resolution from .Hack//GU – Rebirth. People who played this game will know that it's the song playing in the second video of Berserk Skeith vs. Magus. I feel it fits absolutely perfectly for this chapter, especially when you get to the end. Also, be kind. I editted this myself since I wanted to keep it completely secret, so chances are some errors got in here. I do not believe they'll subtract from the overall chapter, but just a heads up for the fans.  
**

**Boss Fight – Death (Part 1): Dark Infection - .Hack GU OST2**

**Boss Fight – Death (Part 2): Full Force - .Hack GU OST2**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Tales of Symphonia, or the places in the game. A lot of this is an original composition, but the intellectual property is solely that of NAMCO._

* * *

Chapter Nine: Lost Resolution, Part I

* * *

She was suddenly unaware of her surroundings as Death made the first move. His scythe curved through the air in a diagonal fashion and met with the reinforced wood of Nighthawk. Pushing against the scythe blade, Raine attempted a slash of her own and was deflected by the axe head. She grimaced as she watched the scythe carve through the air again and attempt to cleave into her skull, just managing to twirl her weapon around and catch his blade with her own. Shifting her weight placement, she guided his scythe blade into the ground beside her, a great crashing sounds reverberating through the room as it clashed against the glass floor. Spotting her opening, she gripped Nighthawk with both her hands and slashed across Death's chest, cutting deep into the black cloaked fiend and even slicing through his side. It was as if slicing through smoke as the shadowy body trailed the invading blade and away from the central body. 

He was cut far too easily for it to be fatal. She watched as the flesh, if one could call it that, she had just cut through begin to thread back together and repair itself, like a living shadow. Her eyes opened widely as she realized that her opponent was regenerating effortlessly in front of her. She knew shock was a bad thing to be in right now, but she had no other idea of how to respond to this. She was brought back to reality, however, when a shade-enwrapped fist was driven into her chest. A loud and ragged crunch signified that the single blow had broken bones. She let a strangled cry of pain escape her lips before the assaulting hand slammed against her forehead and dug into it. It took her everything she had not to drop her weapon and latch her hands onto the wrist to try and pull it off.

She was roughly pulled forward and upwards, her pain filled eyes fully open as she watched the infinitely black head glare into her. Invisible eyes that hurt just as badly as her crushed chest or her clawed forehead. Raine was struggling to keep breathing as he lifted a hand to herself and pressed it against her chest as a green light began to mend broken bones.

"Yes, heal yourself Raine. I would not want you to die too quickly." He gripped her skull even tighter and trembled as he heard her scream in pain. "That was what I was looking for."

"So…you're heartless…and twisted then….Kloitz." She growled, feeling him twitch at the name and pouncing. Her hand and Nighthawk shot up at the same time, and soon Death had the crescent blade jammed into his face. The hand digging into her head released her and Raine tightly wrapped her hands around the weapon and slicing it out through the side of Death's head. Shadows splashed out like blood from the side of Death's head, yet he did not flinch or falter or even step back.

Instead he laughed.

He laughed at her drive to defend herself and she knew that was exactly what he found funny. Twirling Nighthawk quickly before holding it to her rear with the blade out to the side, Raine was engulfed in an ivory glow as mana particles began to condense around her. Death knew already what she was going to cast and had not made even the slightest of moves to try and stop her. Instead he held his Scythe in front of him and released it from his grip, allowing it to free float in front of him. The weapon began to spin in a slow yet steady fashion, much like a buzz saw in slow motion, before however to his back and holding position just a few inches from him

"RAY!" Raine shouted as she fully pushed out her extended hand. A white gate formed above her head and several beams of white light scatter-shot at Death, four of the seven blasts shooting right through him and his blackness. The large holes flicked and wavered around the edges much like the rest of his body did. Slowly, Death glanced down at his body and laughed again before slipping his left hand into the nearest hole and back again, as if mockingly inspecting the damage.

"Finished being an idiot yet, Raine?" Death taunted as he pulled his hand away and threw it to the side. Threads of his shadowy being wrapped around the holes and within moments he was completely whole again. "I was under the expectation I would be killing my daughter this day, not the female incarnation of Lloyd." He was taunting her now, begging her to continue her desperate attack. "Your stupid little toy cannot cut me and your pathetic magics cannot harm me. Why do you think that is, Raine?" He chuckled as he walked around, slowly circling Raine. "Could it be, oh daughter of mine, that you're only cutting into intangible shadow? That you are unable to even scar me because I am naught more than a physical embodiment of the abyss. My my, I was so sure that you were intelligent."

"Don't patronize me, Kloitz." This time, the flinch was more than just a flinch. She could sense aggravation when she called his name, feel it slowly twisting into anger. "I may not be able to hurt you right now, but it seems rather obvious that your name hurts you enough. Is it bringing back bad memories, _Kloitz_?" Raine continued, enunciating his name clearly so it filled the room around her. She swore she heard a growl escape the towering black inferno. Now she knew she could feel his anger.

"Of course it brings spoiled memories." Death replied in a strained voice as frustration toiled within him.

"Like what." Raine quickly added, hoping she would catch him. Her belief that this was not her father was still driving her in this. "_Kloitz._" She quickly added and almost smiled as an ever louder growl escaped his masked lips. Her eyes opened slightly wider as she realized that the body of Death was growing more vicious, with larger black curls of flame whipping the air angrily now.

"Like…watching my son nearly drown when you dropped him into the river. While you two were escaping and getting away from the knights that killed me."

Raine almost flinched for a moment before her eyes hardened. "And that's it, is it…Kloitz?" She ventured. Anyone could get one memory right, but if that was his driving force behind wanting her dead, then he was simply deranged and still not her father. Again the anger with the name was apparent, continuing to be a driving force behind her questioning. _'If this really is my father, why is his own name causing him to react like this?' _Raine's mind was alive with both intrigue and fear. At least if it was her father, she could focus on that and use it to keep her mind balanced. Without an identity, it was really as if she was fighting Death itself. Suddenly, her eyes shot open as Death brought his weapon and sliced his own head off. The head rolled into his free hand and he just as quickly tossed it over to Raine. She flinched for a moment before grabbing it, and staring at it in hidden horror that slid out from barely calm eyes.

"That's all I need Raine. To want to see your body ripped apart and bloodied, that is all I need. That name of mine is disgusting, the name of a pathetic weakling. Just like your name. Signifying a pathetic and weak little child." Death's head mumbled at her. Raine could feel the grin from behind the inky blackness.

"You're pathetic." Raine spoke coldly, dropping the head on the ground and stepping on it. "Using scare tactics to try and offset me? Sorry to disappoint you, _Kloitz_, but mind games like that won't work." The shadows from the crushed head floated upwards past Raine, and suddenly her mind was alert. She leapt backwards just in time to see the axe head slam and slice through the glass floor. She took another leap to avoid the follow up swing from Death. The shadows slowly reformed around his neck and put his head back together. Once again, Raine was sure she could feel the grin. Without waiting for another moment, Raine dashed ahead and twisted Nighthawk so the blade was behind her. When Death did not even so much as twitch his hand in the direction of his weapon, it served to unnerve her just a bit more. Not wanting to make anything of it, she curved the weapon around and cut through his midsection.

It was like cutting through a body of water, shadows splashing out to the side magnificently yet no real damage done. The body fast began to stitch up what would normally be a fatal blow as though it were nothing. Now Raine was beginning to get a bit more frustrated than anything. Twisting Nighthawk around so the blade was pointing at Death again, she began to stab into her opponent ruthlessly, aiming for where every vital organ in a human or otherwise body would be. She had so much experience healing and treating the body that it was simply common knowledge for her to know exactly where to strike to ensure a slow demise filled with pain. However, each stab slid into the body like a knife into slime and slid out much the same, with the slime pressing back together and looking as though nothing had even happened.

The twelfth stab was caught deftly by the right hand of Death, who pulled forward and dragged Raine towards him. She took a curving fist straight to the stomach and felt herself lifted off the ground entirely and hovering in front of her opponent, eyes clouded over by the sudden feeling of a stomach rejecting everything inside of it. Before she could clear anything up, a hand slammed down onto the back of her head. The hand gripped her head tightly enough to cause her to yell out in pain, before tossing her head first at the ground. There was a sickening initial crumple sound as Raine's body was imprinted into the glass floor, and then several crunches falling that as her body rolled away from Kloitz entirely.

She pressed a hand down beside her, as though she were about to start pushing to her feet, when she felt something whiz past her face and stab into the ground just behind her. She looked back to see Nighthawk, still vibrating from the sudden impact. She lifted a hand to her face and flinched as her fingers ran across a clean slice through her face. All at once, her body responded in a violent manner and she found her hacking up blood before slumping back to the ground. Her breaths were heavy both with pain and with fear and her mind was finding itself engulfed in a haze as she realized just how powerless she is and just how powerful Death is.

"Is this all Raine Sage has got for me?" Death muttered as he began to take slow steps towards the downed half-elf. "I thought you were strong and powerful Raine. But this is weakness I see. Completely pathetic weakness coming from the woman who refused to show any of it. Did marriage make you believe you could embrace life again without fear?"

Another cough followed the banter as Raine crawled towards Nighthawk and wrapped her hand around it. She could feel the Unicorn horn within supplying her with the necessary power to cast her healing spells, and soon a green light was glowing around her as she mended her body back together. Growling miserably, she pushed back to her feet and pulled the weapon free. She paused to take three deep and calculating breaths. She needed control over herself. No matter what level of fear she was feeling, she needed to be one with herself or she was as good as dead. She took one last deep breath before turning back towards the approaching Death. Hands tightly wrapped around the staff, she raised and held Nighthawk out in front of her with the blade pointed at Death. In her eyes there was not even a flicker of fear that she and Death knew she was feeling.

"Are you wearing a mask right now? That mask of fake power and false strength that you wear whenever things go badly. Do you think that it will truly save you from me, Raine?"

"Personally, Kloitz, I really don't care much for your banter." Raine replied.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled in replied, his voice alive with fury as he threw his arm out to the side. The wisps of blackness about him whipped against the air in the same kind of fury borne within his voice. "JUST SHUT UP!" She could not see his face, but she could sense that any composure her possible father might have had was gone entirely. She was goading him in and he was buying it.

"The horrid memories again? Every time I say your real name, _father!?_" Raine viciously replied again and followed with a step forward. She almost laughed as Kloitz took a step backwards, albeit unknowingly. It almost surprised him when he realized. "That name that you supposedly embrace as a reason to kill me, but can't stand to hear?!" Another step resulted in much the same fashion. She was obviously the weaker of the two in this room, yet somehow his own name was more potent a pain than anything else. "Tell me, **_KLOITZ_**, why should I be afraid of a weakling whose own name scars him?!" She yelled her loudest at the end, eyes alive with fury. This was more than simply using one's weakness against him, this was beginning to unravel into the pent up emotions and feelings she kept ever since her father whisked them off to Slyvarant. Whether this was her farther or not, and she still was not sure how to answer that, he represented her father at that point.

"**SHUT UP!!!"**Death screamed his loudest before swinging his hand in front of him and hurling an orb of shadows into Raine. It collided with her chest and sent her tumbling backwards, but little else. When she looked at him again, he had grown almost completely still, not even his body flickered in its fire-like manner. He slowly raised his hand to his head and pressed his palm against it.

"Kloitz…" A slow and grim laugh escaped him as he uttered the name once, his body trembling as he laughed. "Kloitz…Kloitz…Kloitz…Kloitz…**KLOITZ!!! KLOITZ KLOITZ KLOITZ _KLOITZ!!!!"_** It seemed as though all the shadows in the room screamed in tandem with Death as he whipped both arms into the air, the cry shaking the entire room powerfully. "I HATE THAT **FUCKING **NAME!!" He screamed at last, whipping his arms out to the side and causing the shadows to begin revolving around the room slowly. To Raine, every shadow seemed to be growling as it circled the room, almost as though they had become the Testament's rage.

"And why is that, Kloi-"

"STOP IT! How bloody stupid are you Raine?! How thick can you possibly be you stupid and lost little piece of trash?!" Death yelled furiously. The composure that once made up her fear-inducing opponent had been dispelled. Now he seemed more like a child having a tantrum. And yet he seemed only scarier now. "How can I be Kloitz Sage…WHEN THE BASTARD IS STILL ALIVE?!" Death screamed once more in fury.

Raine had stopped with her mouth open. She _had_ been preparing to counter his insults. Now she was not sure if she even knew how to breathe. _'He's ALIVE?! Kloitz…my father…IS ALIVE?!'_

"I see that shocked you… didn't it, Raine?! Yes, I'm not Kloitz. None of the Testaments are! How can the be someone whose never died? Yah, Kloitz never died Raine, he simply abandoned you, that worthless loony of a woman he once loved, and his own son!" Death continued. In the blink of an eye he was no more than a half inch from Raine, glaring down at her with his invisible eyes that she could feel.

And she was glaring right back. "First you attempt to torture me with memories, then you try torture with pain, and now you've proceeded to lies? I'm unimpressed." Raine growled. She almost expected to get punched in the face, but instead she felt a hand patting the side of her head. She was sure, however, that this seeming calm was a fake one.

"Kloitz, Raine, was never in love with Virginia. He never loved you. The only one he ever cared about was his male heir, and even he was abandoned in the end. Kloitz is not a victim of the times…he was a selfish and disgusting human ran away when trouble came and abandoned you all." Death continued, a malicious presence now emanating from him. "But of course, there is always more to the story. Why don't you ask your dear Yuan? He knows all about Kloitz. More than even Virginia does."

"You're lying." Raine refused to believe Death's words about Yuan. He would have never kept something like this secret from her.

"I am many things, Raine, but on this I am not lying." Death spoke grimly before sliding his hand to her face and gripping her tightly by the jaw. "Yuan is a secret holder. He knows more than he would ever tell you directly. He hides things from you Raine." Death had believed her scored a victory when he loosened his grip and watched her head slump on her shoulders.

"You can insult me…and pretend to be my dead father," Raine spoke as she continued to refuse the statement about her father. She knew, however, it was simply denial, "but don't you ever try to cause a rift between Yuan and myself." Unbeknownst to Raine, Death had begun to step backwards. The reason for this was the larger and crystalline wings of sea foam green that were stretching out from Raine's back. "I owe him more than my heart. If it was not for Yuan…I would have been lost forever. He saved my life and there is nothing that will ever make me forget that." When Raine lifted her head again, her eyes where still there but they had grown darker. And around the darker eyes was a new outer circle that made almost no sense at all. And this outer circle was the color of a setting sun on the horizon.

Like the sky she could not see inside the room, her eyes had a ring of twilight outside of them. Before anything else could happen, her hand tightened on Nighthawk and she whipped it upwards. A wave of white blasted out from the blade and slit the glass floor as it roared towards the black Testament. He tried to deflect it with his right arm, but felt it engulf his arm instead as it shot through him. A cry of brutal pain roared out from Death as the wave of white smashed into the wall far behind him and eradicated a large portion of all the shadows behind him. They reformed, but much more slowly that he himself would.

And he hadn't reformed yet. The blackness around his arm had dissipated all together to reveal a pale white limb with smoke rising from it. An arm that looked thin at first glance but was far more powerful than anyone gave it credit for. It looked like it might have once been the arm of a great magician or a scholar, but now looked like it belonged to a sorcerer and a demon. Death raised the unveiled arm to his head and growled as he felt pain radiate from it.

Raine, however, had become much more transfixed by her newly acquired wings that beat behind her. It took her a moment longer to realize that the wings were the product of something else, and checked her ring. Her ring had begun to glow the same color as her exsphere did. As she suspected, her ring had affected her exsphere that, without telling Lloyd, she had kept on her. (Why would she tell him? The orb, along with the horn, strengthens her healing magics. Even if it was someone's life before hand, she believed the person that was sacrificed would be happier helping to save other lives than simply being destroyed.) She had some degree of belief that the ring Yuan had given her was not a natural emerald. Just married and so many secrets to unearth already, Raine was beginning to feel like she married a ruin more than a man. All of a sudden though, her head felt empty and full at the same time, and inside she felt a presence.

'_Sorry Raine…I'll have to talk to you later then. Please, do try to not die here. You and I have so much to talk about, but I'm tired right now and you're busy.' _It was sudden and clear and Raine knew she heard it without even needing to think about it. What surprised her, however, was that it was her very own voice that spoke to her, yet it was a happier and cheerier voice. Something very nearly bubbly. _'We'll talk later. We have to talk later. But it took everything I had to at least get him away from you. Please don't die here, or it'll be awfully hard to have that chat.' _And she sounded cutesy. Her own voice in a cutesy fashion sounded very foreign to her. Then the presence was completely gone.

Her mind turned back to Death, as did her eyes. The ring of twilight had faded from them and suddenly she was glancing at a panting Death, his shadowy arm gripping at the elbow of his completely uncovered, pale arm. Her eyes opened wide as she realized the skin tone and complexion where not human.

"You…you're a half-elf." Raine muttered, glancing up at where Death's face would normally be. "You can't be Kloitz then."

"Of course not! Don't you listen? Kloitz never died! HE'S STILL A LIVING AND BREATHING PERSON!" Death growled as the shadows around his shoulder finally began to stitch back together. "This is denial Raine. You are denying truth because you hate the way it sounds." Death stepped forward again as his arm began to fade away, back into shadows. "Congratulations Raine. Even after the man you killed comes back, you can still cause new scars." Death was speaking composed again, grinning an invisible grin at Raine as his arm disappeared within shadows. Once more, Death returned to his full shadow state, edges of his frame curling like flickers of hellfire.

"Killed you? If you attacked me then yes, I defended myself and likely killed you."

"No Raine. You murdered me." Death stated in a very dark tone. Calmly but very darkly. "Behind your cold mask with the cold blood that beats from your cold heart, you murdered me."

"Then you had done something to warrant it." That had been the single worst thing she could have possibly said, and she knew it the moment she felt the wicked scythe impale her through the left side of her stomach. Her grip on Nighthawk tightened briefly before weakening drastically, nearly slipping off the weapon entirely. She coughed hoarsely and felt blood escape her mouth and splatter onto and into Death, disappearing into the darkness he wore like a rock being submerged in a puddle of slime.

She could feel his fury. It was pure, unbridled and malicious and she knew it. It was directed entirely at her and she knew it. She might have had a sliver of a chance when Death was obsessed with nothing more than slow and grueling torture. Now she faced something that burned with a rage that nothing she had experienced so far could match.

"**MY FAULT!?"** Death screamed with a voice that sounded much akin to a demon of hellfire. Had Raine's eyes not been clouded over due to the sudden wound and the equally as sudden blood loss, she might have seen Death's figure trembling in rage. "Raine Sage…I did nothing. I did nothing to you and you MURDERED me…I hate you more than you could ever understand. There are no terms, no definitions, and no proper phase to describe just how much I **HATE YOU RAINE**!" Death's last three words echoed through the entire temple, shaking it much like an earthquake would shake a city. Leaping into the air, Death dragged Raine up with him with his scythe before spinning it around and using it to launch Raine down at the center of the glass floor.

As soon as she hit it the entire glass floor groaned like a dragon in its last moments. Bones along her back shattered at the sudden impact and she could feel the glass around her cracking completely as the floor she laid upon began to implode on itself. She managed half a gasp before stopping as pain growled throughout her body viciously. It was only a heartbeat later when the entire floor shattered at once, the glass exploding in towards the center point of the impact. Raine screamed as loudly as she had ever screamed as shards of razor sharp glass ripped through her frame, tearing apart her sides and body. Her descent to the floor ended brutally as she crumpled against the harder ground just under the glass, the shattered glass fragments tearing into her back. She gasped in pain and struggled to breathe in air as her body was ventilated by the shattered glass. Somehow, Nighthawk had managed to stay in her hand and not get loosed at any point of her horrible yet brief trip, but her body was losing immense amounts of blood and she could barely even move her fingers at that point. She began to chant under her breath, not to hide her spell but because that was all she could manage with her remaining strength.

"Revitalize." Raine wheezed out pitifully as a circle of strong blue formed beneath her barely trembling frame and brilliant light filled her body and began to do its work. Pieces of glass were plucked from her destroyed body, the stab wound in the center was healed, and she could hear the bones slowly mend themselves. She had only just managed to heal up the major external and internal wounds when her mana was completely drained, leaving many smaller and non-fatal wounds throughout her body. But now she was in trouble. Her movement was now impaired due to her remaining injuries, and she hadn't healed enough to clear the haze from her eyes or head. Further more, while it healed her nicely, the spell failed to rejuvenate her sufficiently, leaving her feeling far too weak now. She coughed hoarsely again as she pushed to her feet, trembling all the way up. Glass shards around her crunched as she pushed up to her feet, the edge of her hand getting cut by a shard. The blood flowed freely to the freshest wound now, dripping to the floor as she came to full height. When her eyes rested on the cut, they suddenly opened wide and were filled with horror._ 'I'm going to die here. I'm going to die here.'_ Her mind shifted to Yuan, and the thought of causing him to go through the pain he had revealed to her a second time almost made her sick. _'NO! You're not dead yet Raine.'_

As soon as she got to her feet, she turned to see a flash of blue, and moments later Nighthawk was hurled from her hand and frozen against the ground near by. Raine turned to look in the direction of the shot to see Death hovering above, where there had once been a glass floor. All around him were the colors of the eight elements, floating in misshapen clouds around him. She watched him extend his hand into the purple cloud, lightning she realized, and quickly moved. A moment later, a sword of lightning plunged into the place she had just been standing, and a burst of electricity caught her body and rippled through it. She was sure that she was screaming, but no sound had managed to get out as the electricity ripped her apart. When the spell dissipated she crumpled to the ground and went into a fit of violent twitches as the aftereffects of the lightning ran their toll.

"You're innocent? You're not to blame?" Death growled as he floated towards Raine's twitching body. His voice, his once darkly poetic voice, had become ragged and unsteady, still resembling that of a child's temper tantrum. "You think you're so free to love and feel love. You don't deserve that Raine…you deserve to suffer. To squeal in pain and rive in agony. You murdered me Raine, **MURDERED ME!!** I hate you…**I HATE YOU!**" Death screamed out as he drove one hand into an ocean blue cloud and another into a molten red one. "I wonder if you could see this through pain. See that hate, see **_my_** hate!" All around him, a glyph formed like an orb before the clouds dissipated. "**RAGING MIST!"**

Raine forced herself back to her feet just as a cloud of molten vapor engulfed her. She began to run almost immediately, forcing the sanity crushing pain as far back in her mind as she could. It felt like her skin was melting off her, even though it was just the vapor rolling about her skin. She felt the sudden heat fade as she escaped the cloud finally, only to holler in pain as three icicles plunged into the backs of her knees. Two to the left, one to the right. She collapsed to the ground in a heap as she felt the freezing ice mingle with her warm blood, soon began to lose feeling in her knees. She had just gone to reach down towards the first when she felt a hand slam onto her forehead, nearly crushing it in its grasp. Her eyes glanced up to see Death's masked face hovered just above hers, contorted into a furious sneer that she could feel, even from behind the mask.

"I…" Raine struggled. It was all she got out before Death slammed the back of her head against the stone floor. Suddenly, Raine was not sure anymore if she knew how to speak. She tried and found all she could do was let out a long and tortured groan. Her body was beginning to feel numb all over. Numb and badly broken. She hadn't noticed her wings flickering out of existence from both the sudden trauma and the loss of concentration. When was felt herself lifted from the ground, she began to wonder if some angel final came to take her to Heaven. When the first punch connected with her left shoulder and shattered it, everything suddenly began to burn alive again. She let a loud cry of pain escape, and felt it blocked by the blood shooting up out of her as his hand was driven into her stomach. As the bloodied vomit left, another cry of pain followed only to be blocked out by the sound of another crushing, hammer like blow. Soon, the cries became hoarse sobbing yells that were only truly stopped by the impact of the shadowy fist before it started again.

Finally, the last blow came, slamming into her chest and bringing forth one last attempted cry of pain. No voice was there to supply the cry, her face contorting into agony as the beating was delivered to her. She was dropped to her knees uncaringly, the icicles crunching off and the embedded pieces digging in more. She felt a shadow hand wrap itself in her hair and yank on it angrily to keep her propped up. Death extended his free hand out to summon forth his scythe, allowing it to fully form in his hands before staring back at Raine. She could no longer feel her body, and her mind was the prisoner of immense pain, but she could feel her eyes making contact with Death's.

"I'll see you in Hell, Raine. I'll be there to push you into the lake of hellfire and hold you under for all eternity." Death growled, his voice still akin to a child having a tantrum. His arm pulled back to the limit, and behind the mask he grinned.

"**_SON OF A BITCH!"_** The voice was extreme with fury and horror, and Death had just time enough to glance up before he felt something cleave his arm from his body. He heard the scythe collapse to the floor with a loud clang that filled the room like water in a glass. Right after that, he felt a hand slam into his face and grip it tightly as lighting screamed about his head and the attacking hand in fury. The energy erupted into a fast moving beam that shot Death backwards like a ball from a cannon, slamming him into the farthest wall of shadows. The ruthless crash of impact sounded and a cloud of dust, debris and shadow plumed out from the impact zone. Yuan let his hand lower before spinning in one fluid like motion and catching Raine as she collapsed to the ground.

"No no no no no…Raine." Yuan whimpered as he looked over her nearly destroyed body. "Raine…talk to me, say something. Anything…come on...please say something..." His eyes began sweeping the room about him, and soon he found what he was looking for. He leapt over to the frozen Nighthawk, and charged lightning in his hand before smashing the ice into countless pieces. He laid Raine gently down on the floor, fighting with the fear that he might soon see her chest stop moving and the life fade away from her. He reached into a pocket and pulled a vial. Inside was the single best invention ever made. Popping it open, Yuan tipped Raine's head back carefully and pressed the vial to her mouth. Soon, a miracle gel slid in and down her throat, and a choking gasp for air soon followed as Raine nearly shot upwards.

When spread across wounds, a gel stitches together the skin and mends it up. When ingested, it revivifies the insides and internal wounds, and restores mana to the body. In this case, the gel did half the needed work. Raine had mana and was no longer experience all encompassing numbness. This meant she felt every twinge of pain around her. Her head was cleared up and her mind was focused again, but it was focused on just how much she was hurting. She let out a single pained cry and tried jerking in every direction at once before regaining control of herself.

Now was where Yuan pressed the Nighthawk into her hands, which had been pried from their formed spot of being wrapped around her, and a pair of warm hands rested on the sides of her face and forced her to look into warm and secure eyes.

"Raine, heal yourself quickly. Please." There was desperation in his voice, and it got through to Raine. Closing her eyes, she once again mumbled the words to her revitalize spell, and was soon engulf in a blue glyph of great healing. She felt her body come alive again, the most damaged areas beginning to stitch together and everything else mending at a steady pace. Yuan took two steps backwards and twisted around, swinging Swallow up in time to deflect the first attempted blow. He spun it around and deftly deflected the next two before quick stepping forward and bringing the Swallow curving upwards. It cut through Death nicely but did nothing to actually stop him. Yuan spin-stepped to the left, dodging another vertical slash before swinging the Swallow upwards again and cutting through the shadowy body, leaping up with the weapon as it was swung. Now airborne, Yuan lifted Swallow above his head and charged it with lightning before slamming it back down at Death and unleashing a small electrical explosion. Death went skidding backwards along the ground as the explosion hit him full on, various tears and holes scattered about his body.

"Very nice Yuan." Death spoke sarcastically as he stood up and allowed his body to repair itself. A cold shiver ripped through Yuan's back as he felt the invisible grin that Death wore bear down on him. "Much better than that useless little child." Death was very aware of Yuan's expressionless face as he gazed at his new opponent, and this made his grin bigger.

"I have three questions for you." Yuan began in solid tone. He was well aware that Raine's body would need time to stitch itself together and he was even more aware that this figure before him was not so much as scratched by his attacks. He needed time. "You're not Kloitz Sage, so who are you?" From behind him, Raine glanced up suddenly at these words, eyes both calculative and confused in the same glance.

'_He…He does know Kloitz…why?'_

"Heh. I, Yuan the fool, am the Black Testament of Death, the Royal Right Hand of the Sovereign." Death announced as the last edge of his body finished stitching and he was back to his full frame. He followed his introduction with an over-flourished bow. It unnerved Yuan, now that the figure had a name, just how much he resembled his namesake. Suddenly, Yuan felt as though even he was out of his league against this person.

"Two. What is your connection to Toltus?" He growled as the name left his lips and his hand tightened angrily on the Swallow. "With Toltus LaFillick, what is your connection with him?!" Yuan pressed on angrily. This time, he was distraught to hear a chuckle escape from the darkness that was Death's head.

"Ah yes. Destruction. The White Testament and her Loyal Left hand. What do you care to know? He and I are the forerunners of the Sovereign. We command the Testaments to uphold her will and make it so. He and I are the most pure of the Testaments, the most true, and fittingly so, the most powerful." Death returned, spinning the scythe in his hand before holding it in battle position with the axe head pointed towards Yuan. "One last question for you, and then I will cut you in half."

Yuan already had a course of action on hand. His questions were not taking long enough, so he knew it was time to stop talking and start dancing. He was well aware from the way he had answered his first question that Raine would not have enough time simply distracting Death with questions. This was why Yuan had begun to build up energy and Death was about to get a very nasty surprise.

"I don't have a third question anymore. I've decided it's not worth it to ask you." Yuan paused before turning his head to glance back at Raine, making sure she was still really there, before turning back to Death. "You laid your hands on the woman I love most. You tried to kill the one person I've let get close to me in over four thousand years of life." All around Yuan were the loud crackles of electric hellfire frying the air to a crisp. "Simply put, Death…No answer you can give me is going to save you from me. Not a **DAMN ONE**!" Yuan's last words seemed to match the fury of the lightning around him, and then, in an instant, Yuan had disappeared. Before Death could realize that Yuan is angelic and Yuan could teleport himself over short distances, a blaze of electricity sliced through his back like a sword.

Death spun around and blocked a second supercharged slash from Swallow, but failed to see the foot and felt it catch him in the stomach and knock him backwards. Death's stumble looked more like a man hovering backwards, but it was more than enough of an opening for Yuan. Roaring in battle fury as he charged, Yuan slashed upwards at Death, finding himself blocked yet again. The bluenette began to twirl the weapon from side to side, and Death found himself barely deflecting multiple blows coming quickly, one right after the other. Suddenly changing, Yuan spun around in a full circle and swung Swallow upwards, leaping with it as he cut into the side of Death's shoulder. Once again it did nothing, aside from scattering shadows, but it annoyed Death to know he had been hit once more. A growl escaped the shadowy opponent, who moved to go back onto the defensive when a hand gripped his hooded forehead.

"**PULSE!" **Yuan yelled as the lightning energy in his body rushed to the hand gripping the Testament's forehead. It was much like getting hit by a moving wall and Death found himself flying backwards as electricity crackled throughout his body and limbs. Like everything else, it did not harm him at all, but that was not the point. He stopped in mid float and released two balls of hellfire in the direction of Yuan, missing completely. Moments later, a whip of lightning ripped apart his back and only scattered his body like leaves in the wind, but never the less it surprised him. He spun around to try and hit Yuan, but soon felt a second whip crack strike him at exactly the same part of his back. A growl this time as Death swung around to try and cleave him in half, yet still the same thing happened in the same spot on his back a third time. He trembled once before spinning the scythe in the air and driving the axe head into the ground in front of his feet, just as a ring of purple clouds formed around him.

"**SHOCKWAVE!"** A ring of electricity shot outwards around him, stopping just before reaching Raine. Yuan was never struck by it, and this further irritated Death as he began looking for his new opponent.

"_Oh sacred lightning, strike this foe with the purifying force of all the Heavens!"_ Death's head shot upwards as he heard an echoed voice chant above him, and saw Yuan floating above him, wings out shining brilliant velvet. All around him were orbs of blue and purple that roared furiously. "**_Be Eternally Damned! Divine Indignation!!"_** In a sudden display, every orb around Yuan smashed together just in front of his hand. A ring formed on the ground around Death as the initial blast of lightning over took the abyssal menace. While nothing was injured, he did find that he could no longer move away. This did nothing to hamper the grin that Death had on behind his mask.

White light exploded around Yuan before the ball of energy in his hand descended upon Death, stopping just above the Testaments head before erupting into a vertical pillar of white lightning. The column of holy lightning blew a hole through the ceiling of the room and straight through to the roof of the temple, creating a makeshift skylight. A smaller hole was drilled into the ring were Death was stuck to. A brilliant whiteness engulfed the entire room, melting the shadows from the wall and filling the entire area as though the sun itself had rested within. The pillar had enveloped Death in whole as the attack ran its course, shaking the very temple to its core as the whiteness burned into the sky high above and drilled into the ground far below. A final roar came from the pillar of electric fury before it dissipated.

Where Death had once been, he was no longer. Grayish light flooded in from the hole in the roof and engulfed the room completely, twinkling off the broken glass that covered the floor. There was not a shadow to be found in the room, and definitely no walking mass of shadows. Yuan allowed himself a slight grin at the prospect that Death had been eradicated. _'Maybe not so out of my league as I thought…'_

Raine, however, noticed something was wrong. There were no shadows at all. Not even natural ones. Standing now, her body was well healed to the point where she could be assistance, and she was absolutely sure this was not over yet. Gripping Nighthawk tightly in her hand, her eyes scanned the area around her fully, looking for anything. Yuan had just landed in the center of the room at the edge of the hole that Death had been drilled into, discharging the rest of the energy around him into the ground before turning his eyes to Raine. He was about to say something when he noticed Raine's eyes fixated on something at the back of his feet.

Her eyes were locked on Yuan's shadow to be precise. Yuan's eyes flickered to his feet, to the only shadow in the room before closing tightly. "Dammit…"

Yuan twisted around and leapt backwards as quickly as he could just as a scythe pierced out from the shadows and sliced cleanly through the chest of his shirt and cut into his flesh. The cut was shallow but hurt never the less. The moment Yuan landed he twisted Swallow in hand and stabbed at Death, who blocked it with the center of his staff. Bursting out from every section of his body, Death released all the shadows back into the room and soon encased it in a box of darkness, once more dimming all in the room and leaving the lighting solely to that of the orb of light he had spawned. Death slid his hands on his staff to just beneath the scythe and the axe-head as a slow laugh rumbled through the room.

"Congratulations Yuan. You're dazzling little light show did absolutely nothing to me." Death taunted, watching as Yuan stretched a hand back and charged more lightning into it. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, also turned on Raine and saw her preparing to cast a spell herself. "What, did you think I was weak to Angelic attacks because I am a giant mass of shadows? FOOL! I am not the Testament of Shadows or Darkness. I _AM_ **_DEATH! _**I transcend the elements and even existence itself! How DARE you think the light can burn me!?" Death screamed, his voice echoing through the room in the same fury as his initial cry. "And now, Yuan…I claimeth you." Before Raine or Yuan could react, Death pulled on the separate ends of his scythe, splitting the weapon into three interlinked pieces connected by a chain of darkness. The center piece was still the focus of Yuan's weapon and before Yuan could withdraw, the axe head was driven into the blunette's stomach.

For a moment, time slowed to a crawl. Yuan did not ever know he had been struck until he felt cold steel mingling with warm blood. "**_YUAN!_**" Raine screamed as she charged towards Death, only to have a wisp of shadow hook her foot and trip her. Yuan cried in pain as blood began to seep out from the wound, and mere seconds after the realization that he was gravely wounded, a second piercing blow came. Time sped up again and Yuan's body went rigid, his head shooting upwards and a scream of pain erupting from his lips as the scythe curved in on his back and impaled him, the tip piercing out from his chest and looming above where the axe had come to rest. The brutal scream lasted for quite some time before Yuan felt himself become exhausted. Blood was freely flowing from all three open wounds, his face and entire body was paling even as the weapon was retracted and the blades removed from Yuan's being.

Yuan's hand slid off the Swallow and the clang of the weapon against the ground was almost as loud to Raine as his cries of pain had been. As Yuan began to tumble to the ground, Death's weapon reformed itself in his left hand as his right hand gripped Yuan tightly by the neck and began to squeeze the life out of him. Without any true effort, Yuan was lurched up into the air and held well above the Testament's head as he continued to strangle the remaining life out of Yuan, just before a ray of light shot through his opposite shoulder.

"LET HIM GO!" Raine screamed and tightly closed her hands around her weapon, to the point where her hands were aching. Her face was filled with a fury that was fueled by fear.

"Feh. What if I don't, Raine? Will you murder me a second time."

"LET HIM GO NOW!"

"Why should I? Going to heal him? Going to restore him back to his glory? So you can continue to be happy? I refuse to give you any happiness. I want to _destroy_ your happiness." Death cursed as he turned his head to Raine. "I want you to watch this idiot die, die because he is close to you. Die because he loves you, Raine. Die because I know how much that will hurt you. I WANT YOU TO SUFFER EVERY PAIN IMAGINABLE!" Death screamed out. "So you can begin understand just how much I truly hate you." A second ray of light pierced his neck, and now Death was even angrier. It was obvious by the way his inferno-like body was whipping at the air around him.

"WHO are you?!" Raine cried out, her emotion slipping into her voice and making it seem desperate. "You hate me so much, and I have no clue why. You pretended to be my father, you gave me a letter filled with unnecessary malice, you inflicted more pain on me than I've ever had inflicted on me and I have no idea as to why except for the fact that I apparently murdered you. So stop hiding behind words like 'hate' and 'murder' and stop hiding behind that mask already! If you hate me, show me your face and let IT tell me how much you despise me." She was frantic and furious. She wanted to save her Yuan from death, and she wanted to find out who hated her so much. It was eating her alive, knowing that she might have hurt someone enough to drive them to this level of cruelty.

"Fine" Death muttered before hurling Yuan at Raine. He crumpled to the ground in a nigh broken heap, barely even so much as twitching to notify he was still alive. Rain dropped her eyes from Death to turn to Yuan, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him into her as closely as possible before casting another revitalize spell. She wanted to make sure she was as healed as possible for when Death showed himself to her, as she had the feeling he would be vulnerable in showing his real face. If it was true, she would use it to her advantage. She wanted to know, that was true, but she also wanted to protect what she still had in this world to love. To protect what little she had left in the world that actually loved her.

Convinced his wounds healed up, Raine stood back to glare at the attentive Death, his scythe free floating at his back as he glare at Raine. "Show yourself then." Her hand wrapped around Nighthawk once more as she lifted the weapon up, should he try anything and to prepare to try something herself.

"So be it Raine. Who was I to ever disobey you anyways." The way he spoke betrayed everything else in so far. He spoke in a condescending tone with a hint of disobedience, much like a younger sibling might address the elder one. Those words and the way they were spoken single handedly offset Raine entirely, causing a bud of hesitation to start growing within her. Lifting his hands to his head, Death began to suck away the shadows from his head, creating long and thick strings of inky like blackness to flow to his palms and form large orbs of shadows. Pulling his hands outwards, the shadows continued to flow from his head with a sound resembling a sucking noise played in reverse. Finally, the flows ended and Death flicked his hands to the air around him, dispelling the shadows in his hand entirely. His head, once a shadowy fire, was now a simple black cloth hood with a mask stitched into it as well. The mask bore no holes of any kind and seemed to match the image of his abyssal hood. His hands snaked to the chin end of his mask and pulled the entire thing backwards, finally revealing the face of Death to the entire audience of a barely conscious Yuan and Raine Sage.

It was at that point where Raine's hand dropped her extended weapon. The sound of it crashing did not exist to her ears, as did nothing else in the room other than "Death" at that point. Her body felt as light as feathers and as heavy as cities at the same time. It was as if she could fly to Heaven but was frozen in spot like a statue. Slowly, her hands collapsed to her sides as she collapsed to her knees. The masquerading as her father, the scarring letter, the vicious words, the unveiling of her Father's true fate, the cuts and beatings and impalement and torture and even watching Yuan suffered were less painful than this. They couldn't even compare to this.

Long strands of silver hair descended from his head, messy at the top of the head, to first resemble what was once before going into perfectly flat long hair that covered most of the left side of his face and rested on his shoulders. His hand brushed the hair in front of his face out of the way so as to make sure his eyes could not be ignored to Raine. The smile he wore on his face faded as soon as his eyes made contact with Raine, leaving a hard and emotionless face that looked much like it was chiseled out of the coldest stone on Aselia. The paler complexion of his face matched Raine's in tone, clearly stating his race as half-elf to the world. However, it was his eyes that truly did it. They were blue eyes that had once burned with a passion of companionship, both of close friends and family. Ones that Raine would often gaze into to remind herself that there was no cost too great to give so he could have a happy life. Those very same blue eyes were now brutally cold like a frozen wasteland. And yet all the same they belong to him and him alone.

Raine could not even whimper as tears that had held back as she was tortured, berated, and forced to watch loved ones face death began flowing freely. She did not try to stop them, because she knew she could not. It took all her strength to even speak the sole word that broke the veil of unfeeling silence.

"………………Genis…"

* * *

A/N: There you go. Chapter Nine. Lost Resolutions, Part I. The three twists that will take what you currently know and send ripples of earth shattering quakes through them. Kloitz is not dead, Raine has a voice in her head, and the biggest of them all…The Black Testament of Death, Her Royal Right Hand and one of the two Harbingers of the end of the world…is none other than the dead brother of Raine. Genis Sage himself has returned from hell as the avatar of Death in the name of the Sovereign. Raine Sage had to face the very death of her dear brother and she could barely do that. How, in all the Spirits names, is she going to survive knowing her own brother blames her for his death, accuses her directly of murder, and even hates her so much? 

Latest Pairing Count

Kratos/Anna: 13  
Colette/Genis: 11  
Kratos/Regal: 10  
Sheena/Zelos: 8  
Sheena/Celsius: 3  
Kratos/Sheena: 2  
Sheena/Colette: 1  
Zelos/Genis: 1

Remember, you all have a week from post date of this chapter to get your final votes in. At that time, it's no longer applicable as the winner will be announced on Sylvia Viridian's Tales of Symphonia forum…underneath the Tales of Twilight thread. Likewise, as soon as I stop being so damned lazy, I'll get the Tales of Twilight forum started as well.


	10. Chapter 10: Lost Resolution, Part II

**Insaneiac: For those of you that have yet to adjust fully to this radical change of tide, allow me to state it once more. The one known and loved as Genis Sage, the cute as a button, sass mouth mage…has become the Black Testament of Death. The Royal Right hand of the mysterious Sovereign, the harbinger of her will, and one of the leaders of the Testaments. And further more, Raine has joined the ranks of the angelic and something has begun to awake within her. Not to forget that Kloitz Sage, the father to Raine and Genis and the catalyst in Virginia Sage's insanity…never even died as we were led to believe. So much uncovered, unearthed…but can Raine now survive what comes next. And thanks to your votes, you wonderful little people you; Kratos/Anna is the third official pairing of Tales of Twilight. So we have now got an incredibly screwed up pairing joining the ranks in this epic.**

**Spiritua: I'm baaaack. :D Though I don't doubt that you liked the others better, you're stuck with me again, so deal. :P Another amazingly outstanding chapter from the Insaneiac, as you ordered. :D**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If Namco ever makes Tales of Twilight into a game, though, you can bet your butt I will be having a piece of that!_

**Theme songs:  
Genis, the Black Testament of Death: Dive into the Heart – Destati – from the Kingdom Hearts 2 OST  
Stay In Shadow – Finger Eleven off of their self titled album**

* * *

_There will come a time where strength will fail, where endurance will run out, where the spirit will falter. Where the single person that would stand against the tidal waves of destiny would be washed away and crushed against the rocks of fate. To try and stand alone is foolishness at its zenith point, and yet that is always what we try to do. We are absorbed in the aspect of our own strength and endurance and spirit being enough to support us through heartbreak of all models, of tragedy in all of its forms, and of opposition no matter the face it wears. It is not the experiences a person has that gives them this arrogance, but rather the mask that is carved from their strength, and endurance_ _and spirit. A piece of armor to hide their face and eyes from the world around them, not because they want to protect their face, but rather so they can avoid the rest of the world. And when that time comes, where the hammer strikes the mask and the mask begins to crumble, one thing will be made known._

_No one person can stand alone in life._

It was as though the very core of her being had been stabbed by a blade of hellfire and damnation. She was dimly aware that she remained upright upon her knees, but only barely. As she had been very dimly aware of Yuan groaning as he fully came to. She was distantly aware of the glass that had cut through the fabrics of her pants and through the thin covering her skin provided, but she had either not felt any pain or the effects of her newly obtained angelical nature had begun to occur in some fashion. She was very nearly unaware of the burning sensation that raged in her eyes as they had been open for far too long. She was _very _unaware of just how heavy the tears were coming from her eyes and of how much her body was trembling and shaking. Her breath came in struggled gasps and her heart was beating in a fashion far from normal or even abnormal.

"Does my dear 'sister' need a moment?" Genis, the Black Testament of Death, spoke as he slowly walked towards her. There was no smile upon his aged face, or even a grin of any sort. It was a face of impassiveness and masked anger. "Is the face of her dearly departed brother that much of a shock to her? That painful?" His voice was similar to how it had been when he was alive, only with a deeper tone to it, a maturity to it that had not been there before. There was a darker quality to it as well, a vengeful one. "That is a damn shame, Raine. A damn shame."

Raine ventured a blink, a solitary one, to relieve her eyes of some of the pain, and found herself staring into the eyes of Genis, of her Genis, of the Genis that had died before she got to him. He still didn't even come up to her chest, even as she was kneeling on the ground. Yet there was no cheery face, or even his "I-look-angry-but-really-I'm-happy" sarcastic face. It was the same impassive face with a kind of emotionless anger looming around and about it. She froze entirely, as if the dagger of hellfire that had been plunged in her had turned into one of arctic frost. Every little tremble ceased instantly as she watched the spitting image of her brother walk up to her and pat her on the side of the face.

"Genis…I'm…I'm…" Raine whimpered pathetically as she blinked again.

"Raine…look at my face. Look at it carefully…" Genis spoke warmly, traitorously so, in the voice that matched the body. When Raine looked back at his face, it was cold and uncaring, and she could see the anger more clearly now, and doubly so in his eyes. "This is the face of someone who does not give a damn just _what_ you are." Those words were curved like a blade, and stabbed into her in much the same fashion as the fingers on Genis' left hand stabbed into her right side, closing in like a claw. Raine let a cry of pain escape her lips moments before Genis slapped her as hard as he could. This, in itself, launched her down along the glass covered floor and into a crumpled heap on the floor. Genis had turned back to his older and cloaked self, and now his face was one contorted with hatred and fury.

"Did you ignore what I said to you, Raine, you worthless _bitch_!?" It sounded like Genis and completely unlike Genis at the same time, and even as she laid quivering in a heap with her blood flowing out of the cuts and the pierced skin in her right, she was remembering his words. And with the remembrance came tears and panicked cries of self-loathing and depression. "That's right, Raine. **YOU MURDERED ME! YOU KILLED ME! AND NOW I AM GOING TO WATCH YOU SUFFER FOR CRUSHING MY HEART AND SOUL BEFORE YOU LET ME DIE!**"

* * *

Chapter Ten: Lost Resolutions, Part II

* * *

For the third time, the sky folded in on itself and the sound of a tuning fork being struck rang across the not quite silent clearing that Origin resided it. All four sets of eyes turned to the curving air pocket in anticipation. There where any of six possible people going to show up next. 

For Lloyd, that meant the potential company of his closest friend still alive and the also potential company of someone he had feelings for. Feelings that simply went beyond friend. It might mean he would finally see Colette after so long. There were any number of possibilities and all of them where better than his current dilemma.

For Mithos, it meant more potential healers to keep Lloyd's frail body alive. Regal and Kratos where keeping him alive, but they had covered next to no ground in so far as actually mending the wounds Kvar had caused. For a moment he grinned when he felt Lloyd's budding anticipation, knowing exactly which two he hoped it was. _'Sheena and Zelos. With my luck, that'll be exactly who it is. And of course…I'll get to be bombarded by Lloyd's hot flashes for his li'l ninja.'_ Mithos was very unsurprised by the jealousy he suddenly felt. He had felt much the same way when Yuan had been in love with his sister. _**'Of course, it's not so simple this time, is it? Lloyd's not your brother, idiot. And you mean nothing to him at all. Even the blind and stupid could see Lloyd Irving still hates you.'' **_That voice did not belong to Mithos' mind, or at least not his current one. It was the voice of the Mithos that Lloyd had defeated and destroyed. The cynical, hateful, and insane Mithos that he had ended his first life as.

Mithos didn't like crazy Mithos much.

Kratos and Regal knew that it mean there would be more people to help restrain Mithos, should he suddenly decided to leave after being healed. Regal also seemed to relax when the idea of Presea possibly being included in the incoming portal.

So when Zelos, Sheena, and Presea appeared before them, blinking confusedly (Aside from Sheena, who knew what was going to happen beforehand) all four were mostly happy. Mithos was happy because it was not Yuan, while Lloyd and Regal were happy due to the specific individuals that came through. Kratos was happy as he knew Zelos had a good knowledge of healing spells on him.

"Okay…I never want to go through _that_ again." Zelos complained, twitching violently as he gave his head a violent shake. "It felt like…" He paused for a moment while trying to think of a way to describe it, and lost his train of thought to a failure of wording it, and his train of speech to Presea.

"The precise feeling was close to being collapsed in on ourselves before slowly being unfolded and smoothed out."

Zelos gave a huff and glanced over his shoulder at Presea, his fake pout worn firmly on his face. "Presea, you are such a killjoy at times." He turned his attention now to the others in the clearing, and when he saw his best friend drenched in his own blood, he was sure he popped something. "LLOYD!"

"I'm right here Zelos…" Lloyd said, standing directly beside him. He found himself completely ignored however and let an aggravated huff escape him. He watched Zelos run to where his body was currently being healed and glanced at Mithos for a second. He did not need any longer than that to find out that Mithos was going to play some trick on Zelos and Sheena now. "It sucks being invisible."

"I can see you." Sheena suddenly said, causing Lloyd to jump nearly ten feet off the ground. He spun around and came face to face with a smiling Sheena, waving at Lloyd. She nearly dodged out of the way when she saw Lloyd charging to hug her when she saw Lloyd leap into, and then through, her and plow headfirst into the ground. He slowly lifted his head up off the ground and groaned before letting his head rest back against the ground.

"Great. I can be seen, still can't do anything else." Lloyd mumbled unhappily. He pushed back to his feet after a few brief seconds of lying prone on the ground before glancing at Sheena, who was busy staring at herself in shock. She slowly turned her head to Lloyd, eyes wide open, before turning back to herself in the same breed of surprise.

"Lloyd…" Sheena muttered quietly and in a rather perturbed voice. "…don't do that again." A shiver rippled through her body as the experience replayed itself in her mind. "…_Ever_ again."

"Sheena! Get over here, Lloyd's all messed up and stuff." Zelos yelled. A pause filled the void before Zelos added. "…he's an asshole now, among other things." Sheena managed a single step that was completely a reflex before she was stopped by Origin.

"_**There is no time! Summoner, come with me. If we do not hurry, Raine and Yuan will be slain." **_There was nothing else to follow his words except for the tuning fork sound ringing through the air, and Sheena disappearing from sight, leaving a flabbergasted group behind. Even Presea, in her emotionless shell of a state, was blinking in confusion.

"Well…Didn't see that one coming." Mithos (in his Mithoyd state) muttered sarcastically, and seconds later his head jolted forward as though he had been hit once more. "Oh piss off, Lloyd."

_**------ Martel's Temple ------**_

"Get up, Raine…come on." Genis growled as he slowly walked towards his older sister. His wicked scythe was back at his call, hovering around him in a slow spin. "Don't you _dare_ play dead with me." Genis growled as an arc of lightning ripped through his midsection, scattering his shadowy robe and doing little else. He slowly turned his head to Yuan and focused on him with a vicious glare. "And so, you finally protect the trash heap."

A second arc of lightning coursed from his hand and through the right arm of Death, gaining the same effects of his first arc. "Genis…what the hell has happened to you?" Yuan spoke in an eerie calm that was hiding anger. "Have you gone completely insane? Your sister didn't murder you. She-"

"Abandoned me, Yuan. She _left_ me to _die_; she _left_ me to _die_ alone and scared!" Genis interrupted. He took a step towards Yuan before his entire body seemed to explode into a mist of shadows, and within the beat of a heart he had reformed behind Yuan. "She made a promise to me…that she would never abandon me. That if I _ever_ needed her, she would be there without so much as a pause." His voice was quaky and ragged with heartfelt hatred. Yuan could feel it from him. Before he could react, Yuan was hurled across the room and into the quivering heap that his wife had been turned into. He planted a hand hard into the glass covered floor to stop as soon as he made contact with Raine, and instead of smashing into his wife, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head up to look at her.

"_**SO WHERE WERE YOU, RAINE!? WHEN I SPENT A WEEK SCREAMING AND CRYING AND BEGGING FOR YOU!? WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHEN I WAS DYING, WHEN I WAS SUFFERING?!" **_Genis' voice seemed to come from everywhere around them, echoing through the room and shaking it furiously. _**"YOU ABANDONED ME, RAINE! YOU LEFT ME TO DIE! JUST LIKE DAD RAN OUT ON MOM, JUST LIKE MOM REPLACED YOU WITH A DOLL! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THE REST OF OUR HORRIBLE FAMILY!"**_

Yuan felt Raine's entire body freeze completely in his arms, and where her eyes had once been tightly shut and the tears seeping through the crack of the lids, were now wide open and full of every kind of agony he had ever seen and felt. He felt his own eyes water as he watched Raine's pain strangle her, and just as quickly let his sorrow subside for something else. Something he felt when he watched Mithos lose what little he had left of himself. Something he felt when he watched Kratos abandon all aspects of what Mithos had been to simply help the Mithos that was. Something he felt when he watched Toltus LaFillick kill his engaged love in front of his eyes.

Rage. A pure and unbridled and complete rage. He gently kissed Raine on the forehead before embracing her in a tight hug, still not able to feel any movement from her at all, before he slowly rose and glared at Genis furiously.

"You disgust me," Yuan muttered. Genis' face contorted in mock offense before he actually felt the words. Then it lost the mocking element to it. "Even Mithos wasn't as disgusting as you are now, Genis. He never doubted that people around him, that his friends and family, loved him. Not until we betrayed him first." While that was not entirely true, it was not false either. Mithos betrayed them first in a manner by choosing to do what he had done. He never abandoned those friends he had made though. "You died. You died of a specific type of disease that might have been able to cure." Yuan was walking towards Genis now, not sure just what he would actually be able to do to him. "Raine had left for that expedition before you showed even the barest sign. Of the disease, and by the time it was taking your life, she was underground. She didn't abandon you, you stunned bastard. And she suffered just as-"

That would be the last thing he managed to say before Genis made his move. His right arm stretched across the distance between him and Yuan and wrapped around his throat tightly, cutting off all air to the half-elf. A sudden choke had filled the area as Yuan suddenly felt his ability to breathe cut off completely.

"Suffer? _**SUFFER?!**_ She hasn't _suffered_!" Genis screamed as he whipped Yuan towards him. Just as Yuan reached him, Genis' left hand was slammed ruthlessly into Yuan's stomach. A lurching sound escaped the angelic bluenette as the remaining air that was inside his lungs was pushed out forcefully. Moment later he was slammed into the ground in front of Genis, ruthlessly followed by a foot being pressed against his chest.

"She murdered me. She abandoned me. She hurt me. She made me a promise and then she simply broke it. I didn't just die on that day…my heart, my body, and my soul were all at once killed by Raine…killed by my sorry excuse for a sister." He pressed down harder on Yuan, smiling darkly as a cry of pain escaped him. "Don't fret. Yuan. The impact of Derris-Kharlan onto Aselia has caused a mass cancellation on many of the effects of your Cruxis Crystal. For one, your emotions are no longer stunted and you'll feel more pain than you used to. And that pain is exactly what I need to show Raine just how much I suffered."

"Genis…" It was not Yuan or Genis that had spoken, but rather Raine. She had stood up and walked towards them. "Genis…please."

"Please what, Raine?" He spoke her name with malice and hatred, stepping hard on Yuan on eliciting another cry of pain. "What do you want from me?"

"If…if it makes up for what I did to you, then kill me." Yuan's eyes shot open at this and a protest began to form on his lips when the pain surged through him again. "You…you are right, Genis. I abandoned you when you needed me. I'm no better than mom…than Virginia." Her words were bitter and seemed to come from a part of her she refused to acknowledge. "So…if your killing me will fix that, then I-"

Her words were cut like flesh under a blade as Genis laughed loudly into the room, his scornful chuckles shaking everything around him. In the blink of an eye his voice and body were twelve again, and an effortless kick sent Yuan sprawling across the room and to Raine's feet in a heap. A heap which fast began to push up to his feet and begin his attack anew. Above his head was the slowly spinning scythe, looking like a twisted halo.

"You think your death is what I want, Raine?" Genis' laughter was close to choking the tears completely from Raine's eyes and exchanging them for an anger of sorts when Genis ceased. "It won't do me any good simply to kill you, Raine. To kill you, my dear sister, would be to spare you much misery." Genis dashed forward and used Yuan as a stepping stool, grabbing Raine tightly by the throat with his left hand and squeezing. "I want you to feel that misery, Raine. I want you to see what your actions…what your choices…took away from me." He floated in the air in front of Raine, releasing his grip long enough to turn and grab Swallow with his middle and index finger in mid swing. "And you…well, I want you to die, Yuan, you arrogant jackass. How _dare_ you convince my sister she did not kill me?!"

Genis' face, however, was not able to stop Yuan's hand from grabbing it and unleashing pent up electrical energy from blasting the image of Genis across the room and into the wall. "Someone pissed off is a good place at starting." Yuan growled as his not-so-clichéd statement pierced Genis' comments. Turning around swiftly, Yuan grabbed Raine's shoulders as softly as he could before staring hard into her eyes. "Raine, listen to me. This is not the same Genis as before. He has changed. This death of his has warped his senses entirely." Raine simply shook her head woefully, her eyes saying everything her mouth refused to. For a moment, Yuan allowed himself to embrace her warmly, resting his hand on the back of her head and holding her gently.

"So, my sister sees me to death, and then has the guile to find love?!" Genis growled as he walked towards the two living Sage members. The shadows seemed to form around him and bring him back to his adult form as he strode towards the group. "Then perhaps, Yuan, I ought to simply kill you first. That will work nicely." Yuan let his arms slip off his wife before cupping her cheeks in his hands and staring into her eyes for the moment it took for his eyes to convey his strength to her. A short silenced followed before her nod came, and Yuan slowly stepped away and towards the threatening man of shadows.

"Perhaps you ought to, Death." Yuan replied back as he began to march towards Death. "While you're at it, put your hood and mask back on as well." Despite inwardly trembling with a degree of rage that was rarely ever exhibited in him, Yuan's voice was as calm as it had ever been. In this, it bore a much more jagged edge to each word. "Put it back on and never take it off, because you are not the man you claim to be."

"And ju-"

"NO!" Yuan yelled as the air around him exploded into an aura of electric hellfire. The energy build up around him growled and cracked against the uncharged air around him, and his hair began to hover as though he were submerged in water. "You don't get to say anything. You don't have that right anymore. Whoever you are, you have caused more pain than any one person should be allowed to cause. You're a disgusting bastardization of a hero to this world, and of a sibling to someone I cherish. Don't you try and justify yourself to me. Don't you try and justify yourself to Raine! As far as I see, whether you are Genis or not, you are not the Genis that saved this world, nor the Genis that loved his sister." As his words, periodically swapping from calm to a controlled rage, struck Death, his face contorted in rage that had past only moments prior.

"**WHO **do you think you are? What gives you the power to deny me my existence and to deny me my right to avenging the loss of it!?"

"Who am I?" Yuan stopped his march with just a bare handful of feet between him and Genis, and even though Genis was the taller of the two, it was Yuan that seemed the bigger man. "I am someone that lost his first chance at happiness due to hesitation. I am someone who spent four thousand years trying to preserve the memory of that happiness and the soul of her brother. I am someone that was willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to bring this world to an era of peace and I am someone that is willing to do all that again simply to protect the one person that has given me my second chance at happiness. But when it comes down to it, Genis Sage…I am someone with a deadly weapon in each hand. I know how to use them, and I know how to hurt with them."

"If I have to kill you first to make her pay-" Genis began, and was ended as a jolt of lightning curved into his head and hit like a sledgehammer swung at full first. Death stumbled backwards pitifully before stopped and glaring furiously at Yuan. And for the first time since the fight began, Genis was even aware of a slight smirk on Yuan's face.

"Pay? For you, Genis…There is going to be hell to pay." Yuan shot as he dropped to a battle stance, the Swallow tightly grasped in his left hand. His wings appeared in a heartbeat and Yuan dashed forwards towards Death.

"You just could not resist a cliché, could you?" Genis muttered before dashing forward himself. The two met abruptly and the one of the Swallow's blades met with the scythe blade. Before Genis could move, Yuan's right hand curled into a fist and was driven into the side of his head, sending Genis stumbling backwards before getting a second fist to the jaw. He stumbled backwards some more as Yuan began to rapidly cut into the shadowy Testament with the Swallow, twisting into several quick twirls. A smile formed on Genis' face as he began to reform himself but was quickly dashed when Yuan's Swallow curved upwards and sliced through the skin on his left cheek.

"So…even the face of Death can be cut?" Yuan taunted as he leapt backwards from the assault, conjuring a ball of lightning to his hand while Genis tended to his bloodless cut. Not watching Yuan, Genis was unaware of the large glyph that formed beneath him as the energy around him flared like a fueled fire. "_**INDIGNATION!" **_Yuan cried out as he thrust the ball of energy towards Genis. The ball evaporated from his hand and reformed above Genis' head and formed a cone of velvet and blue haze that surrounded the Testament, as rings of lightning energy circled around him. An eruption of lightning filled the cone and devoured Genis within it as the magical attack rounded out.

But Yuan was not done. A second spell had already formed around him, and his wings beat with violent force in tune to the new spell. "_Let the blades of almighty Heaven all strike in unison! __**STORM OF BLADES!" **_All the energy was dispelled around Yuan this time, along with most of his mana, as a mass of energy formed in a dome around the smoky remains of the Indignation attack. All at once, the dome of energy turned into a collection of twenty swords composed of lightning before stabbing into the center one after the other in rapid succession, each one embedding into the central impact point. Finally, the remaining energy formed a single sword of lightning, one that was both larger and longer, high above the target area. Yuan extended his hand to it and opened it, before closing it in a grasp that seemed to fit the handle of the blade. With a final battle cry, Yuan drove his closed hand down as though he was stabbing, and the blade followed suit as it plunged into the center of the target area. All it once the collection of embedded blades turned into a furious eruption of violet and azure hues that started as a dome and extended outwards from the epicenter, filling the entire area with the light of enraged electricity.

As the spell finally dissipated, Yuan collapsed to a knee. In the same battle he had unleashed the two techniques that he had spent his entire life refining and practicing, and both had a heavy cost on not only his mana supply but his physical wellbeing. The latter of the two required him to continuously build up energy around him and convert it into electricity. Any body subject to that level of energy build up would have been fried instantaneously. Yuan was an exception to the case, and while this was the first time it had ever hurt so much, it still did not leave him a charred remain.

And as the cloud of smoke disappeared and the dimness returned to the room, it was clear that Genis was not a charred remain either. Even the cut Yuan had made on his face had healed up. The immediate area around Death in general was a crater and the one pillar that had been beside him was now gone, but Death was in perfect condition. Yuan growled in frustration as he forced himself back up, well aware of the amused grin on Genis' face that conflicted with his anger charged eyes. He stumbled and trembled as he pushed back up, but before long he was at full height.

"Funny how your best attack hurts you more than I? Stupid ass. I'm Death. I embody the end of all things. Do you think…I mean seriously think…you can even so much as discomfort me?" Death mocked in Genis' child like voice as he brought his scythe back to his hand. Sliding both hands onto the center of the double weapon, he began to spin it in the air. The weapon segmented again and formed a sort of spinning halo of deadly weaponry. When he dashed towards Yuan, Raine watched as he tried to raise his weapon to defend against the oncoming onslaught. It was a single blow that knocked the weapon away from the exhausted Yuan, followed by several quick and calculated whip-like attacks that carved into Yuan. Once more, the pain for him was more real than it ever had been before, and Yuan felt a final blow knock him backwards and over to Raine's knelt over figure. When she laid eyes on him, she could see the deep cuts and brutal wounds that Genis' short assault had expertly caused. He would not die from it, but he would not be able to get back up without healing.

And Raine was scared to do that now. Of what she was scared of she was not sure, but she knew that fear had gripped her in a stranglehold of sorts that could not be loosened. It was all she could do to turn her head upwards and stare at the approaching Genis.

It was then she realized it was not fear that paralyzed her, but guilt. She believed what he had said, what Genis had proclaimed. Every word of it. And deep down inside of her, a part of her wanted him to take his revenge on her. And then there was a part of her that wanted to slap this woman that was in control and remind her of all the things she had come to accept. The part of her that held realism as a principle of life, and that remembered the words of a student that was both stupid beyond comprehension and wise beyond belief. _'What will you accomplish in dying? Nothing! There is no meaning in dying!'_

She had not noticed Death wrapping his free hand around Yuan's neck and hoisting him into the air as this revelation, as this memory washed over her. When she looked up again, she could see Yuan struggling to free himself from the death grip that Genis had around his throat.

"Let him go." Raine spoke as strongly as she could, which was none to strong at this point.

"No." Genis responded without hesitation. "No, Raine. I think I want to take him away from you. Then you can be responsible for another person's death." His grip tightened around Yuan's neck and Raine could hear him gasping and choking, hear his gasping and choking weakening. Quickly, she reached and latched onto Nighthawk before pointing the blade at Genis and, fighting the horror and disgust that her emotions regarded her with. "You'd truly raise your weapon against me, Raine?"

"I can't actually kill you, not again. But I also know that any cut I cause will simply be healed up, as if I cut through slime. Even if I know that I'm attacking you…that I'm attacking Genis…" Raine closed her eyes tightly for a moment and pushed to her feet and stood a full height. "If you hate me, Genis…then hate _me._ If you want to hurt me, Genis… then hurt _me!_ If you want to kill me, Genis, _then kill me!_" Raine stated, first weakly and then with a budding strength that seemed to be returning. "Since it is me you want to suffer, then make me suffer. Don't you apply terms like vengeance and justice in harming others to harm me, Genis Sage. Regardless of who you are now, I refuse to let you taint what my little brother believed in while he was alive!"

The hand around Yuan's throat tightened instantly and furiously as the eyes that belonged to Genis Sage lit up in rage. Raine felt her strength waver and crack, but something had managed to keep her on her feet and keep her steady. "How dare you! To even _pretend_ to care of my beliefs…after you let me fade away! AFTER YOU MURDERED ME!" Genis screamed, in the voice he bore as a twelve year old. "You have no right to even utter a word in my defense. YOU DESERVE THIS, RAINE!"

"Then take it out on me. I'm the one that...t-that murdered you…" Yuan's eyes shifted to Raine as she uttered her choice of words, watching her head slump and her features become engulfed in shame. "I hurt you…I killed you…I'm the one that should suffer, Genis, not Yuan."

Genis had words that were prepared, but found himself cut off when a hand gripped him furiously by the jaw and forced his head from Raine. "Listen…well…You…can rot…you selfish…little…_**PRICK!"**_ Yuan forced out, pouring everything he could into the last word in the hope that it would sound as loudly and as scornfully as it did in his head. And beyond that, a grin formed on his face. A grin that said 'Go on, you baby. Take your best chance.' Genis swiped away Yuan's hand angrily and glared maliciously into the blunette's eyes.

"What is THAT supposed to mean, ass?!" Genis yelled angrily. The hand that had been swiped away came right back and was slammed onto the Testament's forehead.

"Just…wanted your attention." Yuan shot as he loosed what little mana he had left into his hand. A burst of weak lightning flared powerfully in against Genis' palm and split the two apart. Yuan landed on his back in a heap and was barely even breathing, and Genis had a shadow-gloved hand pressed to where the lightning had been. Raine ran over to Yuan's side and kneeled down beside him, glancing at him heatedly.

"What are you doing!?"

A cough escaped Yuan as he tried to speak, the air rushing back into his lungs aggravating his slightly crushed throat. "I'm not ready to watch another person I love die. Although I'm also not ready to push up daisies as well, I'd gladly pick the latter over the former." Yuan spoke hoarsely as he forced himself back to his feet. Shortly after beginning the trip to a stance, he found himself being hoisted up himself by Raine, and found him self leaning on her for support.

"Even if it hurt me in the process?"

"I'm a selfish bastard like that. And you married me regardless." Yuan muttered as he lifted his head up to glance at where Genis was. "We need to get out of here." Yuan broke his eyes away from Genis to stare at the surrounding area, and glare at the shadows that clung to the walls and wrapped around them. "We are in going to die here."

"Yuan…"

"Raine, Genis wants us both dead. You and I. I have to believe you know that dying won't change anything, and since I intend to walk out of here with you, I hope we can figure a way out before Genis kills us."

"Not likely." Death growled as attention was drawn back upon him. Buzzing all around him was clouds of velvet hue, coursing with the fury of a coming tempest. Holding his hands out, all the clouds slammed together in front of him as a single chain of lightning slung out towards Yuan.

"_**VOLT!"**_ A voice screamed from out of the darkness. Before anything could be seen for sure, a ball of lightning absorbed the attack Genis had flung out at his sister's lover and dispelled it entirely. With his immediate job done, Volt dissipated away. And in the blink of an eye, Genis had his weapon at hand and was glaring about his darkness. _**"DEMON SEAL!"**_ Genis let a single growl come out as a burst of energy enveloped his back and launched him to the ground in-between his newest assailant and his sister. _**"ENCLOSURE SEAL!"**_ Sheena yelled as a third seal spell was released. This time she threw several cards at the ground around Genis before he could get off the ground. A moment later, these cards turned into lines of brilliant light that wrapped around the shadowy Testament and held him in place.

"Sheena…" Genis muttered in his twelve year old voice, causing the summoner to freeze as she was charging to Raine and Yuan. "…Help me. Please." She turned around and began backing up towards the two half-elves as she made eye contact with Death. As she made eye contact with Genis. Although his physical image was matured and almost different in everyway from when she last saw him, she knew just by the eyes that it really was Genis. For a brief moment, she was no longer even aware that she had bumped into the pair. Giving her head a shake, she did the hardest thing she had ever tried to do and closed her eyes tightly.

"_Source of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between, Ruler of all, I summon thee! __**COME TO ME,**__**ORIGIN!!**_" Her eyes snapped wide open as the energy around her dispelled and formed in front of her in the image of the four armed Origin. "Origin, I beseech thee, get us out of here!" She called out as strongly as she could, in which Origin responded with a nod. A tuning fork soon rung out inside the room and the threesome behind Origin began to fade away

"No…" Genis growled as the realization came to him of what was happening in front of him. With a little effort, Genis blew apart the binds that held him in place and charged towards the disappearing image of Raine. He never even reached her as Origin crossed in the path of the Testament and batted him away with a burst of energy. Death flipped in mid air and landed deftly on his feet. And for a moment his face was contorted in pure rage before he flipped the hood and mask back over his head in one fluid motion. Suddenly, the figure in black felt like Death once more, and Genis seemed to fade back into obscurity. A heartbeat later, his clothed head was engulfed in the same lazy black fire as the rest of his body.

"Origin…you have broken the pact. You have directly interfered in the course of the Revival." Death growled. "And you interrupted MY BUSINESS with MY MURDERER!" The wall hugging darkness began to shrink in towards the Black Testament as he spoke, and the scythe faded from existence.

"Listen to me and listen well, Testament." Origin spoke as the darkness closed in on him. "Genis Sage, the Black Testament of Death. Inform the other Testaments of my decree as well. I refuse the decision to commence with this tradition, with her revival. There have been Nineteen up until now, and I shall see to it that there is no Twentieth!" And with that, Origin disappeared just as the shadows closed in around Death entirely. The second sound that followed was the sound of a scream that was composed of hatred and hellfire. To the people stuck within the radius of what followed, they were sure that the last sound was the explosion of a fire more black than the darkest midnight engulfing the center of Meltokio and melting it to nothingness.

In reality, it was the scream of a child.

* * *

A/N: Lost Resolutions is over and done with, and now begins the next set of chapters in this story. With many things changing, one thing remained clear up until now. The Testaments were the enemy. But now, a single statement, a message, from Origin, threatens that with uncertainty. Expect the next three chapters to answer many questions, change many fates, and even reverse the flows of time. Lost Resolutions has ended and now, Nineteen will begin. 


	11. Chapter 11: 19 I

**Insaneiac: …I'm back. It took a while, some jars to the head, and a sudden return that made me oh-so-happy…but these damnable muses finally woke up and started working. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to 19. A triple parter that will change everything. This is what will separate Tales of Twilight from any other post Symphonia epic. By the end of these three chapters, this entire journey will take a new meaning. Also, as a result of these upcoming chapters, the rating might rise. Let's just say, between you and me…this is where the darkness of humanity is put onto display. **

**For the record, the next three chapters break a naming scheme. The next three chapters are titled in such a way that it's a nod to another incredible epic that has inspired my writings and musings. I doubt I'll need to say it, but I will mention the epic these three chapters are a nod to at the end of this one.**

_Disclaimer: It's clear that my client, Mr. Maniac, is in no way, shape or form the owner of Tales of Symphonia. This is the property of Namco Bandai and of Namco Tales Studios. If he did, in fact, own it…it's clearly evident that Tales of Symphonia would have been crap._

**Objection! There is clearly a contradiction there!**

**Spiritua: Suuuuure there is. ;D Don't feel bad, Twilight completely pwns Ritus Luna in every way anyways. And, um… To the readers, it's good to be back! Association with Insaneiac makes me look waaay cooler than I am, anyways. :P So… enjoy.**

**Theme Song: Raine and Yuan – Is It Real by Scott Matthew**

* * *

Chapter 11: 19.I  
_The Aftermath_

* * *

A melted crater was all that remained of the Temple of Martel and most of Meltokio. The once bubbling metropolis of Tethe'alla was not nothing more that a pitch black hole in the ground with the bare remnants of the city lining the rim of the crater. There were no fires burning on any of the half-eaten buildings, but rather just a solid blackness that marked where the eruption had ended. For anyone that had been within the black zone, their life ended instantly and horribly. The last thing any living being felt was the sensation of being melted away entirely. 

In the center of the ruined city, where the temple had recently been situated, knelt a black mass of shadows within a colossal crater, so deep that it seemed to reach into hell itself. This huddled mass of shadow, powerful beyond comprehension and ruthless beyond equal, was trembling weakly as sobs escaped into the dead air. While it was true that the individual was weeping, it was obvious that these were sobs of panic and fury. That the figure who had proceeded to break down after blowing up was not crying out of sorrow or guilt, but rather hatred and anger. It was no more than the aftermath of a horrible temper tantrum, one that had spelt the end of Meltokio.

As the cloaked figure continued to weep, a pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him in until his back was pressed against the embracer's chest. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, this shining white sage contrasted the trembling black wraith entirely. Lowering his masked head until it was pressed gently against the side of Death's, the White Testament of Destruction lowered himself to a kneel and sighed softly into the other's hood.

"Shhhh." He whispered into Death's ear. "Be calm, Genis. I'm here now." True, Destruction was well aware of who Death truly was, and had been right from the beginning.

"She should _suffer_." The Black Testament seethed painfully, his trembling being stilled by the man behind him. "She should suffer horribly."

"Yes, she should. And she will, Genis. And you will be the one to cause her that pain. So for now, be calm." Toltus soothed as he tightened his embrace on the mage. "Trust in me, Genis. I will not lead you astray. How can I, when you are what completes me? Death and Destruction, Genis. Without one, the other is but a word." It seemed to have the desired effect, as Death stilled shortly after the last word was spoken.

"Do…you promise?" He whimpered. He had been promised similar things before. A promised made by someone he believed in and loved deeply.

"Yes. Eternally."

With that, the two faded from the scene altogether, leaving a crater empty and a city dead in their wake.

_**------ Origin's Altar ------**_

"So…Lloyd here isn't actually here, but rather it's the pissy little brat we had to kill before?" Zelos summarized as he helped to heal Lloyd. They were doing a pathetic job of healing him, but that was to be expected. This level of wounding could only be properly healed by a bonafide healer. "Well, doesn't this just keep getting better and better."

Mithoyd sighed agitatedly, glaring at Zelos. "Do shut up. Listening to you might actually finish the job Kvar started."

"Hey, if you don't like it, tough. I'm healing your megalomaniacal ass, so you can take this as due payment." Zelos wryly responded, beaming at the pout that Mithos put on in response. "So, the Testaments sound like they are dead people being revived. That's rather disturbing you know."

"So far, we are looking at Kvar, Anna and Alicia being revived." Kratos responded. Even though it was a fact, he still found some difficulty in using Anna's name to refer to the enemy. Internally it was ripping him to shreds.

Regal spared another glance at Presea worriedly, concerned with how she had just been sitting at the altar. He had been informed of her actions during their brief separation, and how she had reverted to her emotionless state. To say the bare minimum, it worried him. Something about it was not right, and while a lot of Presea's life had been a collection of things 'not right', this was more of an immediate worry to him. After all, how do you go from trying to cope with every emotion imaginable to having none at all?

Inside the pocket dimension, it was dusk. Mana was doing what she could to give the healers as much a supply of magical energy as possible, but the healing had started several hours earlier and all they'd managed to do was stabilize Lloyd.

Once more, the telltale sound of an incoming party filled the dimension. Mithoyd cringed as he saw who said party was, although Lloyd jumped at seeing Sheena again. However, everything changed when they laid eyes on Raine. Bloodied, beaten, and exhausted, the real horror came from looking upon her face and into her eyes. He face fought to stay strong, and the struggle was visible to all present. There were twitches along the sides of her face, and quick flinches that revealed a dark depression. Her eyes, however, she could not force to look stable and calm. They were the broken eyes of a broken soul.

For a time that could not be determined, there was silence. A jagged, throat slitting silence that held onto the entire group of people.

"Raine…" Lloyd muttered, raising a hand towards her. Sheena locked eyes with him as soon as possible, and for a moment, they seemed to share a thought. And in that brief moment, Lloyd's expression turned from worry to an absolute horror. And then a combination of the two. "…Genis?" Lloyd whimpered out, and Sheena gave a slow nod. For once, she was glad the Gods blessed Lloyd with a streak of intelligence.

Mithos was also aware of the conversation, and his eyes parted from Lloyd's shaken stance to Raine. In his eyes rested a sympathy, a deep one. He noticed Raine lock gazes with him, and flinched. He wanted to look away, avoid her gaze at all costs. But he found it impossible. They just seemed to stare at one another, wordlessly, as if coming to an understanding.

"Where is he?" She inquired, her voice trembling mildly as she did her best to sound strong. Kratos noticed how Yuan's eyes seemed to cast downwards as he listened to her.

"Here. In front of Sheena actually." Mithoyd responded. There was no curve to his words this time. Most were briefly confused; however in the end the only one slightly lost was Yuan.

"Why are you here?"

"…Kvar. Lloyd's body is failing."

Yuan, initially lost, was catching on. And he did not like what it was turning out to be. Kratos could tell just by the way his features were shifting. "Yuan, no."

"Mithos." Yuan sneered as he said the name. "So…You really have hijacked Lloyd's existence for your own."

He ignored Yuan completely, almost as though he had not said a thing. His eyes were focused on Raine, and he was finding himself running out of options. "Raine…please. Lloyd's dying. Even with Kratos, Regal and Zelos healing him, the body is dying." His voice, surprisingly enough, was sincere and pleading. "You have to help him."

Raine, pausing, turned her head slightly to Sheena. "What does Lloyd say?" She did not take her eyes off Mithos. She waited as Sheena glanced towards where Lloyd supposedly was, taking a few deep breaths while waiting. She was perturbed by the looks Sheena adopted towards Lloyd, and slowly turned her head away from Lloyd and back to Raine. There were hints of astonishment and something resembling fear in her eyes.

"He wants you to heal him." What she left out was how Lloyd had admitted to being indebt to Mithos. More for the sake of keeping Yuan controlled. When Raine took a step towards Lloyd's body, a hand rest on her shoulder, as if telling her to stop. She turned her head to see Yuan staring at her.

"Raine…that's Mithos. We _can't_ trust him. If he has control of Lloyd, he has control of the Eternal Sword." Yuan cautioned firmly.

"The alternative is to let Lloyd die." Raine replied as firmly as she could. She opened her mouth to continue, but nothing else could or would come. Yuan closed his eyes tightly in response, before lifting his head up and glancing past Raine and at Mithoyd.

"I'll kill you if you do anything. Without hesitation." His words, tone, and demeanor were as cold as ice as he fixed his deadly gaze on Mithos. He could feel cold gazes from the rest of the party, but he did not care. This was Mithos, a monster in the guise of an innocent child. To trust him was to be assured a horrible fate. "Lloyd's body or not, that doesn't change who you are." His words finished, he withdrew his hand from Raine's shoulder and took a step back. Kratos was well aware of how he never took his eyes off of Mithos, and a hand slipped to his sheathed sword.

Yuan was his comrade, but Lloyd was his son. The choice would be simple and instant if it came down to that.

Raine kneeled in front of Mithoyd and pressed her hand against his head. As soon as contact was made, the rest backed away from him. Regal and Zelos kept their eyes on Mithoyd carefully, while Kratos and Presea focused on Yuan. Sheena, on the other hand, was staring at the actual Lloyd carefully. After all, she had been worried about her close friend for quite some time now. Although she would not say it aloud, she was worried about the effect Mithos was having on him.

"_**Revitalize**_." Raine uttered as mana flowed into Lloyd's torn body and began to heal the tears and mend the wounds at a rapid pace. Mithoyd nodded at her before turning his head to Lloyd and nodding at him as well. Shortly after, Lloyd slid back into his own body, pushing Mithos back into his half existence. This time, Sheena could see Mithos clearly, standing beside Lloyd. She watched him stare at Lloyd just as worriedly as she had, before he caught her staring at him.

'_Lloyd's lovely ninja can see me now. Wonderful.' _Mithos mused. _**'What do you care? It's not like she's important to you, Mithos.' **_There was the insanity again. Sheena watched as Mithos raised a hand to his head, closing his eyes. _'Go away.' __**'All you want is Lloyd. Once he's under your thumb, then everything changes, right? Send her straight to hell to be Nebilim's plaything.' **__'NO! I'm not going to do that!'_

"Are you okay?" Sheena said quietly to Mithos, who nearly jumped at her sudden appearance. Then he remembered. Ninja. "You…kind of looked like you were in-"

"Don't you dare pity me, _human_." Mithos seethed, contempt laced in his voice "It's not like you really care anyways. So don't insult my intelligence by pretending to give a damn about my condition." With that, he walked away from the insulted ninja.

Back with Lloyd, the glow of healing light was beginning to fade. As soon as the healing was done, Lloyd felt like he lost control. His body shot upwards and his arms wrapped around Raine tightly in a desperate embrace. The healer let a gasp of air out as she suddenly felt her space invaded. She stayed in her position, stunned for a few moments before pulling backwards and away from Lloyd.

"_GET OFF OF ME_!!" She screamed before she slapped Lloyd with all her worth. The sound was enough to shatter glass. In a way, it did. Everyone, who had begun to focus on other things in their mind, suddenly snapped out and back to reality. Lloyd's head was staring to the side, a glaring red hand print. Raine's hand, still outstretched, slowly found its way to her own face. She used it to cover her face, especially her eyes, before taking a step backwards. Doing everything she could from making eye contact with anyone, she turned and ran away.

Lloyd, awestruck, pushed up to his feet. _'Why…'_ He turned and began to walk away, looking to be left alone for a while. One of his gloved hands reached up and rubbed where he had been slapped gently. _'What…did I do wrong...?' _Yuan, however, wasted no time in his decision. After a moment of recollection, he turned on his heels and ran off in the same direction Raine had. However, before any chatter could begin, Sheena coughed into her hand and managed to get the attention of the confused masses, sans Lloyd.

"I think I can explain…"

_**------ Origin's Lagoon ------**_

Somehow, someway, she had kept herself running long enough for dusk to fade into night. Somehow, someway, she had managed to keep from tripping and breaking her neck in the hastily darkening world. Until, however, she got to the end of her journey. Her foot caught something, a root most likely, and sent her into a short flight. She inwardly hoped that this would be her last fall, that her life would all end by the fierce impact of a tree or a rock. She didn't care that the legacy of the Sage family was ended by a piece of Mother Earth. In fact, she almost found it morbidly humorous.

However, it was not a rock or a tree she hit, but rather a fragile surface of glass that shattered into thousands upon thousands of liquid shards. A shockwave warped the surface of the perfectly calm water, the sound reverberating through the forest around her.

Raine Sage had made a Colette-worthy landing into a lagoon. The sound of disturbed waters and the sight of the surrounding fluids resulted in Raine jerking to her feet in a panic, just barely stifling a squeal of fear. Her sudden lurch to her feet sent her topping backwards this time, splashing into the water once more and, for a brief moment, submerged into the silent expanse. This time, while under the water, she did scream before lurching forward and coughing. As she got to her feet, on the verge of tears and hyperventilation, she stopped moving for a moment. She let her mind, while still in the grips of the deadly water, take in the world around her.

She started by brushing the wet hair out of her eyes, freeing her vision of the silvery interference. A pale, false moon shone down from above her, illuminating the area mysteriously with a silver glow. It made this body of water seem like skin, or glass, even as it began settling from the rude interruption from the half-elf. It was circular, based on what she could see, and there seemed to be azure wisps rising off the surface and breaking into particles. In the moonlight, they swapped between blue and silver, flickering like fairies before they disappeared from the world. The scent of the area was nearly non-existent, but the faint aroma of herbs could be detected. It only seemed to add to the mystery of this lagoon.

She found her breathing slowing to a normal rate and her heart start pumping blood normally as she looked down at the water. "What's…the point…?" She whimpered. She steeled her soul as she began to walk forwards, towards the center of the lagoon. "Scared of water…an intense case of hydrophobia…but what brought that on?" She continued, as a droplet of water plunged into the lagoon and caused a small ripple. "Fear of losing what family I still had. I became afraid of water because I was scared of it taking Genis…" Another droplet and another ripple. Soon, she found that she was up to her shoulders in the lagoon, the cold water not fazing her physically or mentally. She glanced down at the mirror like surface to see her face, and nearly sneered.

Tears were streaming down her face against her will, becoming one with the body of water before her. She brought her hand up to cover her eyes for a moment, choking back threatening sobs and holding back more of her waterworks. Her teeth clenched tightly as she fought them away, desperate to try and keep strong. All she really wanted to do was run away. Run and run and never look back. Disappear from the world and its evil.

Slowly, she removed the hand from her eyes and glanced back at the surface. She sucked in her breath in a sudden burst of fear as she saw more than just her reflection in the water, and turned sharply to see the cloaked angel behind…and above her. He was standing on the surface of the water without his wings out and without slipping into the water himself. They just glanced at each other for the longest time, both of them with a sorrow of their own kind resting in their eyes. Raine turned away after long, and focused again on her reflection in the still water.

"I was hydrophobic for most of my life. When I was fleeing from Tethe'alla with Genis, while we were on our way to the gate in Tethe'alla…our boat tipped. Genis plunged into the water and I went in after him. I got Genis back onto the raft, but I nearly drowned. Yet…that's not what scared me about it. He…just slid underwater the moment he went in. Yuan, it swallowed him. I've been afraid of water because of how quickly it took Genis from me." She recounted, trembling in the water.

"Why Genis?" She choked out. She didn't hear Yuan dip from standing on the water to standing in the water. "Why…" She flinched preemptively and turned around to face Yuan, backing away suddenly from him. "NO! Leave me alone. Just…leave me alone."

"No." Yuan replied firmly. Raine's face contorted into shock and then into something resembling a smirk, albeit a very disturbed smirk.

"I'll hurt you. I was willing to hurt Lloyd…what makes you think you're any safer?"

"Nothing." Again, a firm response. "But that won't make me leave you, Raine. Nothing you can say and nothing short of a killing blow would make me leave you. I promised you that not more than a day or so ago." It was not negligence in regards to their wedding day; it was the fact that the sense of time had just left him since this whole nightmare started.

She gave a weak tremble, something she desperately tried to fight against, as Yuan replied to her. She closed her eyes again as she tried to tell her emotions to stop rebelling, and opened them suddenly when she felt a pair of hands cup the sides of her face. Yuan had closed the gap between them in that brief moment she had her eyes closed. Two pairs of blue eyes, each baring their own breed of misery, stared uninterrupted into each other.

"Raine…you are so strong." Yuan started, calmly. "You are a nearly invincible woman who has fought against the very world around her and stayed steadfast. But Raine, this strength comes from a mask that you wear. You wear it out of necessity for those around you, those that desperately need strength. And it is a part of you, but it is still a mask. And now it's suffocating you." Raine stopped shuddering as Yuan spoke, tears once again threatening to slip out of her eyes. "Raine…take that mask off. If only for a moment…stop being strong and let yourself be weak."

"I don't want to Yuan…" She muttered, her voice almost non-existent. "I can't…"

"I know you don't. I know what it means to you to be strong." One of Yuan's hands, of which Raine only now noted it was gloveless, slid upwards and caught one of the tears on a finger. The moonlight seemed to only now just catch his face, and Raine saw just how important this was to him. "Sometimes, it takes the most strength to let yourself be weak around others." She lifted her hands out of the water and placed them over Yuan's own hands, pressing them to the sides of her face. "Take off this mask, this part of you…even if for just a moment. Let yourself be weak long enough to breath and to feel the world around you…and I'll stay right here with you."

Raine choked on a sob that never came as Yuan pressed his lips against hers, kissing his wife with the lunar glow upon them. He pulled back from her just enough to speak again, resting his forehead against hers and making eye contact with nary an inch between their eyes.

"I'll stay right here, Raine…and I'll be weak right along side you." He whispered. The healer froze completely as his last words turned real, and she managed one last stable breath before he buried her face into his shoulder, her chin skimming along the lagoon's surface. Her arms, sliding into the water, wrapped tightly around Yuan's body as she began to sob uncontrollably into him. Yuan's own arms wrapped around the woman, a hand nesting itself against the back of her head as she allowed herself to be weak. Slowly, Yuan lowered his own head, pressing it against her's and stayed true to his own promise, letting silent tears slide into the silver hair that shone under the pale moon.

"Yuan…" Raine murmured into his shoulder, her hands clutching him tightly. "Don't disappear. Please…don't ever disappear." She spoke in between frantic sobs. "I don't want to be alone…I don't ever want to be alone."

"I won't Raine. I'll never leave you. Never." He took a deep breath, the scent and flavor of her hair dancing with his senses. "I love you too damn much to ever lose you." And there two stood immersed in a moonlit lagoon, tightly wrapped in a desperate embrace. Time seemed to leave them alone and let them exist in serenity, as the two half-elves allowed themselves to be weak and rely on one another. For warmth, for love, for support…and for the ability to be weak.

_**------ Origin's Altar, Some Time Later ------**_

"So…Genis is a Testament as well." Kratos spoke soberly as he sat on a root. He glanced over at Lloyd, who had since joined the group again. He had sat beside Sheena and had stayed silent as he listened in. "That means we now know the identity of four Testaments. This is most unsettling."

"Way to sugar coat it." Zelos shot. "That explains why Raine looked like shit when she came here." Zelos was standing up, pacing back and forth.

The group had gathered around the altar as the waited for Yuan and Raine to return, if they intended to. Oddly, none of them were tired, despite time seemingly fast forwarding and then shutting down altogether. It was, give or take a bit, midnight. The moon was full and bright, filling the room with a pale light. Origin had returned after Raine left, and took Mana off to the side to discuss. Kratos was sitting on a nearby tree stump, Lloyd and Sheena rested against another tree, their shoulders touching each other. Regal was in front of the altar itself, meditating silently while Presea was just standing to the side, her gaze as empty as it was when they first met her.

Mithos, as only Lloyd and Sheena could see him, was out of sight. He was watching from the edge of the forest. After all, he was an outsider. _**'Lloyd doesn't care about you. He would be happy just to see you gone. Just take what is rightfully ours already!'**_ The voice…his own…spoke to him. Mithos closed his eyes again and rubbed his temples. _'Lloyd might not care about me, but I care about him.' __**'You! Care?! About a human!? Don't make us sick! He's just as bad as the scum that killed our sister! He should suffer just for being born a filthy human!' **__'You're wrong…I've seen Lloyd's life. He understands.' _Mithos argued with himself, the crazy voice of the person he died as. He fought against it, alone and weak, with everything he had.

"Are you-" It was Undine that started, but she was cut off by a furious growl from Mithos.

"Leave!" He seethed through clench teeth at the summon spirit. "You don't fool me. You fake concern because I scare you. I horrify you. I'm sure you believe that if you pretend to care, I'll be a good little boy. Well I'm not so easily played." Mithos growled quietly and darkly before turning and walking away, leaving an unmoved Undine in his wake. _**'They should suffer. Humanity. You know it. Lloyd represents humanity…so he should suffer the worst of all.' **__'Go…away… You're wrong. Lloyd doesn't represent anything about humanity. He's the exception to it.'_ With his final, desperate thought, the voice of madness seemed to fade away. Mithos, sighing in relief, rested against another tree.

"Anna, Alicia, Genis, Kvar. Truly, our enemy is crafty to bring faces we cherish against us." Regal replied to a conversation elsewhere. Of course, he only referred to the first three, but it was still a valid point. He had more to say, but snapping twigs had disturbed the conversation past the point of picking it up. Everyone turned around to see Yuan and Raine, the latter wrapped in Yuan's cloak, make their way back into the clearing. Even though it was clear that Raine had been crying, she looked much better than she had before. Both looked like they had been attacked by a tidal wave, with their hair sopping wet and sticking to their heads, sometimes slipping into their eyesight. They noticed Yuan's hand grasped firmly in Raine's, fingers interlocked. As they walked into the clearing, Raine slowly slid away from her husband, their hands only parting when their arms could no longer stretch far enough.

"Lloyd…" Raine spoke as she kneeled before the red clad swordsman. Lloyd glanced up at her briefly, then to the side. Not in fear but rather in shame. The red mark was still on his cheek where she had caught him. It was in the moment that Raine did something that nearly stopped Lloyd's heart. She grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him forward and into a warm and somewhat soggy embrace. Lloyd's eyes (and just about everyone else's, save Yuan's) shot open in surprise at the very public hug.

"I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to hurt you Lloyd." She replied soothingly. She almost flinched when Lloyd wrapped his arms around her as well, returning the embrace in equal stride. For a moment there was nothing but the steady breathing of the various people.

"I know. It's okay Professor." Lloyd replied, happily enough. True to the words, a big smile was back on his face. "I forgive you." They broke the hug shortly after, and Raine spared time to cast a first aid spell to heal away the slap. With it now gone, she turned back to Yuan. It was then that both Origin and Mana reappeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Kratos, Yuan and Mithos all spotted a single glance between the spirit of Mana and Origin. It held a weird feeling to it, almost as if it was symbolic of a parting.

With that, and with Mithos giving a sneer at the spirit who stole his sister's image, Origin turned to face the group. He held out to of his arms to the nine, calling them together. Obediently, all gathered into the center, even Mithos.

"_**Time is of the essence, and rest is not a liberty I can provide you. I have a tale to tell to you. A story of nineteen worlds before this one, of the Sovereign who cleanses the world of all, and of a time where Aselia existed before. For you to understand the true purpose of all this, I need to tell you a story of a man named Cless and of a woman named Mint." **_Origin stated, gazing at the warriors. _**"Before I begin, I have but one request. All of you must forget what you know of this world."**_

"_**Forget. Forget because everything you know…is wrong."**_

* * *

A/N: There you have it. And yes, for the record, it took me so long to update because of that little lagoon scene. I was trying to do something fluffy without running smack dab into campy town. I also wanted to avoid it being an angst fest. I was going for a dramatic scene that defines their bond, something that shows just how much one relies on the other. Obviously, not easy. Also, get ready for another round of pairing voting. We have one last main pairing to decide, and then we move on to the rest. Little side pairings and stuff of that nature. It'll start at the end of 19.III. Further more, the chapter name is a nod to the Dark Tower series. 19 is a very…important number. 

And on another note. I am looking towards the possibility of getting some art for the villains of this story, the Testaments. Since I cannot draw worth a lick, I'm turning to you, my legions of loyal readers. Anyone willing to provide fan art of the Testaments will get the label of official Tales of Twilight Artist. Just PM me if you decide to provide any, so I can anxiously look forward to it and announce it once it's done.

Finally, for you canon junkies. Origin's little statement is not just for Team Symphonia. This extends to all of you as well. This next chapter is what will define Tales of Twilight as being completely against the grain. So, when 19.II roles around, make sure you walk in blank. Remember that, in this story…_Everything you know is wrong._


	12. Chapter 12: 19 II

**Insaneiac: Sit down and relax for a bit. This one is a biggie. Get ready, folks, for the Tales of Twilight equivalent of a Lost season finale. Some questions will be answered, new questions will be asked, and what you know will change. I've promised twists, turns, and flips, but this chapter is going to leave you dead if you think you know something. So this is your last chance ladies and gentlemen. Take a moment, breath deeply, and just do what I say.**

* * *

_**Forget everything you know. For everything you know is wrong.**_

Chapter 12: 19.II

_Everything You Know is Wrong_

* * *

_**It began so very long ago. If you take the time to count every star in a clear night sky, you would not have spent even a fraction of the length of time between the first world and this one. Only three have ever lived the time between these twenty worlds. Those three are I, the Spirit of Mana who was first known as Martel, spirit of the Great Yggdrasill Tree, and then the Sovereign. She who is known as the Sovereign had a name that was abandoned when the first world was destroyed by her hand.**_

There is a beautiful house in a bustling town, one that is filled with life and motion. This house, easily the largest in the town known as Toltus, had a wide back yard that was blocked off by the home. In the center of this yard is a man with golden blond hair and chestnut eyes. Around his forehead was a scarlet bandana that flapped in the wind as he twirled and twisted in an odd dance. His torso and arms were bare, his conditioned frame glistening as the setting sun's rays slapped against the sweat that coated his body. His waist and below were garbed in plain white cloth pants, with a pair of leather boots on his feet.

In his hands was a standard long sword, the flawless metal reflecting the sun as it dipped and twisted in synch with its wielder. This man was a hero to the world of Aselia. He had defeated the grand sorcerer Dhaos in the past, the present and the future. He had saved the world from both otherworldly beings and the inhabitants themselves, saving the lifeblood of the world itself.

To the side, near the house, was a young woman in a beautiful white robe and with long blonde hair that seemed to outshine the sun. Her amber eyes rested on the shirtless dancer as he continued in his daily ritual of training against the setting sun. The way he moved seemed to mesmerize her, and she smiled gently as the man became a dancer bathed in gold.

_**She also had a lover. For him, she held a love that was second to none other. This emotion was more than simple love or affection. It was True Love. Forged through a journey that crossed continents, wars, and even time itself, tested against an opponent that defied typical classification. A love that would not end until their respective lives did.**_

_**A fact that makes this tale truly sorrowful.**_

Despite his skill with a blade, even he was no match in such a situation. The drug that coated the blade that was thrown into his shoulder was having its intended affect. Actions that should have been as natural as breathing were turning into drunken wavers. Blows that should have been guaranteed were being botched and deflected by a group of relatively pathetic thugs. It was a session of torture for the lovely female, and a source of entertainment for the scum. As for the valiant warrior? It was a struggle against odds that seemed endless.

_**They lived beautiful lives. He died a horrible death.**_

They took his arm, brutally hacking it off with a jagged and ruined blade, simply to prolong the suffering, to drive the agony to its most extreme. And despite their furious intent, he did not scream for them. He would growl, and he would whimper, and he would even struggle to try and get away from the weapon. But not once did he ever scream for these men.

Until they restrained him, and forced him to watch as his lover was taken against her will.

He was no longer human at that point. He was an injured and drugged animal alive with a fury like no others. And despite his trashing, his snarls, his cries and his need to destroy this scum, he could do nothing but watch as she was ravaged and desecrated. Again and again…until finally, they took his life. And in much the same way as he was forced to watch her being savagely and brutally raped, they forced her to watch as a pitch black dagger was plunged into his chest, over and over and over again.

_**She became something immortal. Something incredible. Something remarkable.**_

As soon as she was dropped from their arms, she ran to his dead body. She took his lifeless head into her arms, and cried into his blond hair. They did not need to do anything else to provoke her cries of pain, her screams of sorrow. And they took from it a perverse pleasure. They watched with unblinking eyes, some laughing at the sight, some anticipating the finale. These five Godless beings of Sin, who were here for no other reason but to enjoy the sight of suffering in its rawest form. They cared not who they were or what they had done for the world. They were not interested in the legends of Aselia. They cared nothing for them, only for their last moments to be as enjoyable for them as possible.

And now they were preparing to finish their work. And as they approached her, smiling and laughing with diabolic hunger looming within their eyes, her weeping stopped.

_**This is the birth of the Sovereign.**_

She stepped back from the lifeless corpse, her fingers running along his pale and cold cheeks. She swayed as she stood to full height, her demeanor halting the people in front of her. To her, they looked like dirt, and stood no taller than dirt. And to them, she seemed a Goddess, her presence larger than any mountain in the world. They froze at her gaze, crumbling to the ground like weak and helpless children. Some cried, some begged for forgiveness, one watched without blinking at the majesty and power this woman bore. She reached her hands out towards them, a wave of energy washing over their helpless forms, threatening to drown them in infinite.

Four great ethereal wings unfurled from her back, stretching out and filling the room around her with light and every color that had a name along with those that did not. It was simultaneously beautiful, awe inspiring, and deeply horrifying.

And then she sang a song, and white devoured existence.

_**The first time I weaved existence with the other four Greater Spirits, we created a universe of raw beauty and true potential. And Mana herself provided the universe with life. One world in particular was the core of this all. We came to call this land of Elves and Dwarves and Humans Aselia. This world is your own.**_

_**These two were named Mint and Cless. They saved this world we created from a great force known only as Dhaos. His goal seemed to be one of destruction, but in reality, he was only seeking to give a gift of life to Mana. His defeat was bittersweet. Despite celebrations, these heroes could not help but feel some sorrow for this being. And yet, they were revered in the past, present and future as heroes. True legends worthy of song and praise.**_

_**The people never knew that Mint had transformed. They never even knew how Cless had died. She undid creation and life. Where the Greater Spirits are the body, and Mana is the breath, She is the death.**_

_**Yet, despite ending what was, She gave life. She bore eight ethereal children that came to adore and treasure Her as a true mother. And as She is one with the end, she named them accordingly. Chaos, Sorrow, Pain, Time, War, Blood, Destruction and Death. These became known as the Testaments of the End. They are the harbingers of Ragnarok, and the ones that set the stage upon which her song is sung.**_

They were not simply listening to Origin speak. His words reverberated in their minds like an endless echo, but they merely accompanied the true reason for this gathering. They were witnessing his memories, his and Mana's. They were watching every moment of this. The adventure Cless and Mint had gone on, their love, their lives, their deaths. It brought a new sensation of sorrow upon them all, and even the strongest and most reserved felt a tear form at the corner of their eye. Some, like Yuan, rid themselves of it. Or in his case particularly, evaporated it with lightning. Others allowed it to have its solemn journey.

"She sang the world to its death?" Mithos ventured, breaking the silence…at least for Lloyd and Sheena, and the resident spirits. "A _song_ ended existence?" He was not sure exactly what he was feeling at that point. But he wanted answers. And since no one else was willing to ask it, he would.

"_**The most powerful weapon in all of existence is the spoken word. A word can cause war, a sentence can erase civilizations. And Her song is capable of erasing everything that is. A true display of the great and impossible power that is speech."**_ Origin replied powerfully. They didn't ask anything else following that. There was nothing else to say at that point.

_**Instead of destroying her, She became a part of the cycle. In worlds that were plagued with darkness and evil, where no true hope could be found for true unity, she manifests at the peak of Ragnarok, and sings the world into Oblivion. It became clear that we needed a world where darkness and light were not seen as bad and good, but a balance. Where true evil is nothing more than a thing of nightmares. In retrospect, we sought the impossible. As long as there is life, there will be good and evil.**_

_**Our second attempt, a world that revered Mana in the form of a tree, and where Heroes would arise to strike down injustice, also failed. The third as well, despite the appearance of those that would redeem themselves despite being damned. Each time a world would come to its end, the Testaments would take physical form, reviving the dead and using them as hosts. While they remained loyal to the Sovereign's will, they retained their individual personalities and memories.**_

_**They were to obtain the pieces of the Sovereign. Her three parts to be assembled once more upon her stage. Her body, which is always that of the incarnation of Mana. Her wings, which is always that of a pure maiden. And Her voice. Nothing is ever absolute when it comes to Her voice, forcing her children to seek her out and discover her.**_

_**It was the fourth world, where Time was once again instrumental, where the Sovereign opposition. A legion stood against Her will, fought against her Testaments, and tried to defend against the coming end.**_

Sword met scythe as their furious battle continued, dazzling red hair whipping in the air as he continued his relentless offensive. Behind him lay the emptied husk of his companion, a beautiful princess with a heart of gold. Her eyes, once full of life, were now empty. The voice had been reclaimed. And the swordsman would see blood drawn for it. He continued to strike at the opponent, relentless but ultimately ineffective. It was like swiping at shadows with a stick. The figure made its move, lunging forward and knocking away the sword, unleashing a powerful shockwave of magical energy that hurled the warrior backwards like a sack of potatoes. In an impossible feat of grace, he rights himself in the air and lands on his feet, catching his sword just moments later before dashing back towards the shadowy figment.

The two clash in mid lunge, their weapons moving in a flurry of impossible speed and with awe inspiring elegance, before at long last, a sword was knocked into the air, and a scythe ripped through flesh and tearing through bone. A cry of pain was all that escaped him before the scythe finished its task, pulling away from the wound long enough for the axe head section to cut into and through his chest.

He was dead before he hit the ground. And with that, the violet haired women returned her hood and mask, and walked away.

_**They failed. Because one of their own became Death. A woman named Lucca. And this cycle would continue. In the next world, a land of human and beast men, engulfed in a way of epic proportions, a man named Soren became Death, and brought the Voice of the Sovereign to her stage, killing a valiant hero named Ike in the process. In the world following that, where the real and the digital were bound tightly together, a destined hero named TK became Death, and once again retrieved the Voice.**_

_**Then there was the seventh world. A world of beautiful mythology and life that was called Nippon.**_

She dashed forward again, her reflector shining in the glow of battle as she struck once more at the shadowed figure, hood drawn back and mask removed. This man twisted to the side, bringing his sword upwards and striking the wolf in the side, cutting another wound. Without wait, the wolf leapt backwards and waited, glaring at Death. This one, without his mask of inky blackness, still wore a mask upon has face, wielding a sword that glowed a brilliant blue, his scythe imbedded in the ground beside him. He stood across from the wolf, neither saying anything nor even making a sound. They just waited, like two ancient warriors for their moment.

_**She was a Goddess in wolf form. Amaterasu. And he was a beast-man from a northern tribe, known as Oki. He was not there to kill Amaterasu, but to bring her to fulfill her role as the Voice. It was the first time a part of the Sovereign had openly defied Her will. And more so, the first one to ever stand against Death and cause him harm. Fundamental harm that cleaved through his shadowy armor. And while it was a truly devastating blow to the status of the Testaments, Death in particular, it was not enough to stop him.**_

The circled slowly, like two true warriors waiting for their chance to make their next strike the last. The air around them was frozen, the snow beneath them packed from movement. Outside of their circle, the world ceased to exist. It was only the two of them, waiting for their chance.

And with the sudden snap of a branch, they struck. Like a pair of blinding lights, they dashed and leapt at each other. The contact was brief beyond compare, and the two landed in the opposite position from where they started. The one known as Oki, the Testament of Death, stumbled forward, his right arm having been sliced from his body. And despite the blinding pain that came with having a limb torn from one's body, he did not cry out in pain, or fall to a knee. Not for this opponent. And as for his opponent, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu…her landing was not graceful.

She had been slain before even touching ground.

Oki looked back, over what was once his shoulder. He bore witness to the motionless form of a wolf he once called an ally and a friend. Now defeated and deceased, her essence seeped from her lifeless frame and into his. And despite his success in achieving his goal, he could not help but spare her a moment of true silence out of respect.

_**The next two worlds were two versions of the same place, the Earth. The eighth, a world were war between Dragons of Fate and Earth would decide the fate of the planet, and the ninth, where the borders between the living and the dead was paper thin, where the Death Gods, or Shinigami, would keep the world safe from the furious souls of the departed. In both these worlds, the Testaments were fought tooth and nail by those that opposed them. Never once knowing their true purpose, yet not ever willing to give up the people the Testaments sought out.**_

_**Then, the tenth world. A world of legends and heroes. Where Courage, Power and Wisdom form an almighty trinity. In this realm, the greatest hero to have ever lived and breathed became the Testament of Death, serving alongside his greatest nemesis as the Testament of Destruction. This hero was known as Link, the Hero of Time.**_

"What?" Lloyd suddenly blurted out, more than a little concerned at that. "Wait. This hero…why would he do that? If he protected the land and became as legendary as you said, then he should never have turned to that. Right?" He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder at Raine. "Right?"

"Idiot." Mithos muttered, petting Lloyd on the head like a dog. "Heroes are only heroes until the world has no need for them. Legendary just means that." He smirked at Lloyd as the youth suddenly swatted his hand away. "Besides…there's a pattern here."

"There's a pattern here." Raine muttered, echoing Mithos unknowingly. "Death." She took a deep breath before continuing, the very word still bringing every negative emotion to a boiling point. "In this world, he's G…In Nippon, he was Oki. In this tenth world, he was the hero. In the third world, she was Lucca." Raine took a moment to think, before sighing. "They're fundamental. To the people that save their respective worlds. Aren't they?"

"It's the case in the other worlds, isn't it?" Regal added in. "Maybe not the hero, but someone close, or essential, to the hero or group of heroes. They become the Testament of Death." He gave a slightly troubled sigh. "To offset them."

"_**It is more than just that. Their deaths mark as an omen. Within a year of their passing, the Ragnarok will come. And because the cause of death is never the same, it is impossible to bear witness to the omen and know that you are." **_Origin was well aware of the shocked looked on Raine's face. _**"They die, and then they are reborn. As the Testament of Death. Like Oki, like Link, like Lucca. And then they return to reap the Voice." **_

Yuan's hand found its way to Raine hand, and wrapped around it firmly. As did her's in response. They had no need for words at this point. Genis' death was more than a tragedy; it was a mark of the coming destruction of the world. She was stripped of her last living family member to serve as a warning for the tidal wave that threatened to drown the world.

"But it's not just that." Mithos replied, now that Raine seemed to be out of the count. "It's done to break them." He crossed his arms, stepping in front of Lloyd. Not that anyone other than Sheena and the Spirits could see. "Killing them, bringing them back as this Testament. It's more than some omen." Mithos reached his hand out to Origin, as if beckoning an answer from him. "Go on. Confirm it for them. Or are you going to hide it from them, Origin? Out of concern for their silly emotions?"

"Mithos!" Two people shouted at once, shocking the rest of the group, who had since taken to committing the recent information to memory. The voices belonged to Lloyd and Sheena, both looking flustered and angry.

"_**He is right. The Testament of Death has three purposes. To serve as an omen, to reap the Voice, and to bring ruination to those that fixed their broken worlds. To tip the balance in their favor with out chance." **_Origin replied, his tone bitter at having had to answer the question.

And with that, Mithos walked back over to Lloyd, leaning down beside him and staring at the side of his head. "Hear that. Genis died so the world could break you. That's the place you fought for, Lloyd." Following that, he leaned in closer, making sure only his red clad swordsman heard the following words. "But you're stronger than that, aren't you? You're not about to let all my hard earned faith in that stubborn spirit of yours disappear now, are you?"

Kratos could not see Mithos, but he knew that his former student was gorging himself on Lloyd's reaction. And while there was nothing he could say to shake Mithos from Lloyd, he knew that he could remind Lloyd that there were people around him. And with a few steps, he clasped a hand down on Lloyd's shoulder and kept it there. Within no more than a few moments, he could feel the muscles relax, and the "What of this world?"

_**Link was strong, but he was not without his own spirit. The Voice was a princess, known as Zelda. When he came to reap the Voice, he faltered in his task. He hesitated. It was the first time that a Testament ever disobeyed his purpose in life. And yet, at seeing him suffer so, Zelda took her own life. Reaped herself to see that Link was freed of the burden he bore.**_

_**It was that world that changed how Death was picked. Their death was made to be a rueful one, full of malice and hatred towards any that they were once close to. So that they were never again impeded by such lingering emotions. Cruel, perhaps, but such emotions were a hinderance when a world deserved to end. From that point in, the Omen's death was made to be as painful and as horrible as possible, while ensuring that the hope of being saved was still there. To break them of their bonds and ensure that they had no lingering emotions.**_

_**And thus, on the eleventh world, a world of mortals and Gods, where Valkyries would guide deceased mortals to the planes of Asgard to become the greatest warriors and fight in the final battle. In this world, Ragnarok was foretold. And thus, when it came, it masked a second Ragnarok, where the warrior of great legend, closest to the Valkyrie Lenneth, fell in battle and died waiting for her rescue.**_

_**A year later, he reaped that very Valkyrie.**_

_**The twelfth world, a world that had ended and was brought back to life by a denizen of the underworld, followed suit. Those that followed in the hero's wake fought tooth and nail to protect the world, but they fought against misguided humanity and the Testaments themselves. They fought and fought without stop, admirably and tenaciously, and yet they failed.**_

_**The thirteenth world was a world bound to prophecy, freed by a shadow that became a figure.**_

"STOP!" The red head shouted, the sword's edge meeting a scythe's blade. "DEMON FANG!" He followed up, pulling the blade back quickly and unleashing a wave of energy at the shadow encased Testament. The blow pushed him backwards, but did nothing to disrupt the shadows that filled the throne room of the Baticul castle.

"Get out of the way, Luke!" The Testament called, swiping his hand through the air. "I'll kill you if you make me." He spun the scythe in his hands, adjusting it so the ax-head was pointing towards the other. Luke wasted no time, dashing forward with his sword pointed towards the shadowy figure. Their blades met, and danced with each other as the two moved in a deadly circle, each clang of metal on metal seemingly shaking the world. Outside of their circle of death was Tear, watching and waiting for the chance to make her move. This enemy was strong, stronger than anything they had come across. And if there was to be any hope in taking it down, they would need to work together.

So when Tear suddenly found herself being dragged away from the battle, it took her a moment to process it fully. And when she did, she turned on the person dragging her away, ready to lash out at her kidnapper without remorse. And once again, she was trying to process what her eyes were seeing. The person taking her away from Luke and the fight was Jade. And then her face turned into one of hopelessness. Jade was many things, but he was a man of the military. The only time they would leave a man behind is if the situation was too dire.

"Let me go." She said, albeit meekly. Unintentionally so. And she knew his response.

"They're after you." He replied, not a hint of worry or concern to be found in his voice. "I'm not sure why, nor what for, but you're essential. If you leave. Luke will have a much higher chance of surviving. Because I guarantee you that you are the biggest threat to him right now." Cold and to the point, but also a complete lie. Luke was as good as dead now, and there was nothing they could do. And Tear, as much as she wanted to pull away from him and turn right around, she did not. "We need to get away from here. As far as we can-" He stopped abruptly and threw himself against the wall, just narrowly dodging a wisp of razor sharp smoke. And even then, it managed to gash open the man's shoulder.

"You should be more careful." The voice called out, melodic in nature. "Otherwise, a horrible fate awaits you."

"Destruction."

"Is that really how you'd greet me?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's what you are now. Nothing more or less." He replied coldly, before summing his spear out and holding it in front of him. "Body and mind aside, you're little more than a ghost. Albeit a persistent one." His hand tightened around Tear's for only a moment before he drove his spear into the wall beside him. "ENERGY BLAST!" Before either party could respond, the wall exploded and a deep smoke filled the hallway. Tear felt herself whipped around then stumbling into and through a hole, falling a short way down. "Get her out of here! Don't look back, even for a second." Jade commanded, moments before Tear landed on something rather…large and soft.

"Roger!" A relatively cheerful voice called out, before something stormed out through the wall. "Time to get out of here!"

They were gone before the lifeless body of the colonel hit the floor. In his final moments, he had gained one last, essential victory.

_**Jade Curtiss was the first mortal to see the overall plan. He learned of the voice's identity before even Death did. Yet his sacrifice, as important as it was, did not last.**_

"Anise!" Tear yelled, as the girl fell seemingly in slow motion, hands out in front of her and eyes wide. A trail of her blood seemed to hand through the air, connecting the hole in her stomach to the scythe in Death's hand.

"Going to fight? Or are you done wasting time?" Guy, the Testament of Death, called out, as he began to walk towards her. She had come so far, avoided so much, lost so many. Did she really have anything left to fight for? She stumbled to her feet, looking away from Guy long enough to make her move. But it was not quick enough, and before the first few words of her hymn could be sung, she felt a hand wrap tightly around her throat, cutting off everything. Her eyes went wide, her hands shot to grab at the wrist, but it was hopeless.

"Any final words, huh? Last goodbyes you want to make?"

She reached her hands out, cupping his face and trying her best to smile as much as she could for this man, who had taken away everything. Because even then, she could not get over whom he was to them, over what he had done for them, and over what had happened to him in the closing moments of his life. "I forgive you." She whispered out, the last of what she could do.

_**By now, the world had ended thirteen times. Thirteen worlds that, despite overcoming great strife and conflict with new resolve, were still erased by the Sovereign and Her song. It would happen another six times. The fourteenth time, the world was in age of magics and races, where strife was not a set thing, but many. A seer there, brother to a white mage and a necromancer, became the Avatar of Balance, protecting the world and, at times, even his enemies. He loved what was imperfect, cherished what was beautiful, and protected all without thought of personal gain.**_

_**Yet his world would not live. The youngest brother suffered the most horrible fate of all, and became the Black Testament of Death. The Avatar felt himself collapse into a depression, having had never seen the death, and having had no way to prevent it from happening. And in the end? Death took both of his brothers' lives, and then descended upon the Voice. A person that he had once fought against, once tried to shown a better way to. A beautiful singer with a heart covered in ice. But in the end, she was unable to stop him.**_

_**It ended without uprising or strife.**_

_**The fifteenth world was one that had surpassed great strife on multiple occasions. First, at the hands of a man that wanted to destroy the world in the name of mother. Then at the hands of the remnants of that man, seeking to bring mother back. Then at the hands of science and magic combined, where a destroyed soul become a hero that protected the planet. These people protected a world that was destroying itself, and turned even the people that harmed the world into benefactors and leaders, seeking to bring new life to the world.**_

_**The one known as Cid died. Then Death came a year later. The Testaments were in a war against the heroes, who found new strength in each other. Yet they could not stop them. The Voice was taken in the end, no more than child who had watched the world survive threat after threat. Heroes died, cities fell, war tore the world into pieces, and then the Sovereign sang it to sleep.**_

"Wait!" Zelos suddenly cried out, shooting forward. "War? The Testaments were able to defeat an entire world's population?" It was a surprise, but he had a feeling, a deeply disturbing feeling, that it would not be so simple. He was right.

"_**No. The World was split into two sides." **_Everyone seemed to come alive at that, staring in a mutual horror. _**"The Testaments, their words can sway nations. They assembled an army of people, giving them reason to believe in the Sovereign. This was the work of War himself, spreading words that bestowed honor in servitude and beauty in victory. And the masses believed him, and willing marched in the name of Oblivion."**_

"Are you kidding me?" Zelos started, incredulously. "How are we supposed to fight against something like that? I mean, Death and Destruction are bad enough, but now we're actually dealing with our own world as well? Could you stack the deck in their favor anymore?"

"While I can't say much for how he put it…" Yuan stated, giving Zelos a disapproving look before turning his head back to Origin. "…he's right. These Testaments sound ridiculously powerful as is, but now you're telling us that they can sway the very people they're destroying to their cause?" And he clasped his hands together and propped his chin on them, giving the spirit a calculating look. "We're at not only a strength disadvantage, but a significant tactical as well."

"It's because people are ruled by emotion and not by logic." Raine muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "They can leave out the details that would scare them. Tell them only the best parts. And they would follow." She looked away for a moment, before sighing. "We're fighting against opponents that know us even better than we do."

"_**Yes. You are. But fight you must. For if you do not, then nothing will change."**_ Mana stood silently by Origin's side, watching without speaking. This was his story to tell, in every way. It was her job to watch over them during it, providing them with the images and the tales weaved within his words.

The silence from the false forest around them seemed to float in and cover them all, creating a stiff quiet that was more harmful than good. A contemplative silence that forced them to look at what they knew. And it was not until many minutes had passed that Origin had begun his tale once more.

_**The next world was a broken one, where a demon turned against his kind and sealed shut the door between Hell and Earth. Yet it was in the time of his children that the world ended. There was no hope for the son of this man, who was unable to protect even himself. Yet this one was a most remarkable realm. Death, faithful servant of the Sovereign, turned against here at the moment of the song. Though his actions were unexpected, the results were not. He was overpowered by them, and his goals, unknown, were never fulfilled.**_

_**Yet this was also the place where a Testament was destroyed. The Testament of War was bested in battle against an unknown foe, who managed to destroy him entirely. It was the first time that a Testament was ever bested, let alone annihilated.**_

_**The next world…was more than a world. This time, we created and breathed life into a universe, with not true focal point. Mana, taking the form of a Time and Dimension Witch, made sure that these worlds were kept constantly in like, yet completely separate. And for a time, it worked. Beautifully. This one lasted so much longer than all others. For a time, perhaps we found the perfect world, where the good and the bad were equal in all ways.**_

_**It was not to be. Upon the death of a Princess, bound to magic by birth…we knew the omen had befallen us. She returned, vengeful. There was no hope, no salvation, no stopping it. The Testaments collected the parts, and created the Sovereign once more. And the world ended.**_

_**Yet we saw a chance in that. We created a second universe. This time, we made the Heart a focal and irreplaceable element through the aid of Verius. And this too, seemed to work. Even the strife that threatened these hearts was defeated through the power of light and darkness. A union that brought forth changes and balance.**_

_**Until she died. Kairi, one of the three responsible for doing so much good, died. Just out of arms reach from the two she loved so dearly. She died as the omen.**_

"K-Kairi?!" Sora spouted, collapsing to his knees as the hood was lifted from the blackness. Even in the darkened ruins of Radiant Garden's castle, where the battle had finally led them, they could make her out clearly and completely. Riku had kept standing, but he was not moving at all. The two were consumed by horror and depression at the fact that their closest friend, their dearly beloved Kairi was now standing before them, bathed in black fire and gazing upon them with distaste.

"Move." She stated coldly, lifting a hand to point at Namine, who had since been freed as of Kairi's inexplicable death.

"Can't." Another voice called, as Xigbar lifted his guns up. To his side was Axel, also having survived, looking mighty pissed himself. "Hope you understand. I just don't feel like moving." And of course, he knew that Sora and Riku would probably be useless.

"Guess you're just out of luck tonight, princess." Axel followed up, twirling his chakrams around. And it was then that Sora stood up as well, brandishing Oathkeeper and trying his best to meet her gaze. Riku as well, though just as difficult for him, pulled out The Way to Dawn, and took his stance as well. If this was where it would end, then it would end. And they were four to her one, despite the fact that everyone there could feel the overwhelming energy coming from her, thick and full of rage and the abyss.

"We're not going to move, Kairi." Sora said with sadness clearly dominant in his voice. "I can't let you do this."

"We're not moving." Riku said, as firmly as he could. "We're going to do this for you."

"For me?" And then she swung her scythe through the air, and the shadows around her screamed with rage. "If you wanted to do _anything _for me, then you should kill yourselves!"

_**They all fought long and hard against her. And…lost. The power of the Heart, of light and darkness and nothing at all…were not enough to defeat her. And when Destruction and Time and Chaos came, she had already claimed the Voice, leaving bodies of friends from a life long since finished in her wake.**_

"Finished so soon?" Destruction…Xehanort…spoke, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Impressive. It even appears as if you spared them no-" She walked forward and away, disappearing through her own portal. Leaving the White Testament with a smile upon his face. "She still feels for them. Even after they left her to die."

"Of course she does." Chaos spoke, revealing himself to be Xehanort's Heartless. "Death and vengeance breaks no spirit truly. Through the colors, she still loved them." And he waved his hand over their corpses. "Such precious colors of tragedy now curl and twist around them, dissipating into the great nothing."

"Perhaps." Destruction replied, before turning away. "Let us leave. The Stage awaits us."

Chaos and Destruction left, leaving Time to his own devices. He walked forward, and kneeled before the fallen heroes, casually taking their Keyblades and weapons and stabbing them into the ground just above their heads. Then he tended to the bodies, turning them onto their backs and crossing their arms over their chests. He stood after it was finished, and pulled back his hood and mask, revealing his face to be that of Demyx. And after this ritual was completed, he sat down in the center of the room, surrounded by the corpses, now frozen in time and looking pristine and flawless. He brought forth his sitar, and with but a single deep breath, he played a song for them.

The words were magnificent, but never heard. Frozen in time with the heroes, their legacy sang into the fabric of space and time within that special bubble.

_**They were not always enemies. Rarely. Save for Death, grudges were not an issue. These were beings that mostly just wished to see it end. The hatred, travesty, destroyed, war torn, ruination that had become their world. And even Death, with a grudge so focused, could feel pain and despair for the actions taken. Killing a friend or a member of their family hurt them, even if they hated them to the very depths of their being.**_

_**The final world before ours as it, the nineteenth one. A world wrapped in the number 19, where a wheel constantly turned. Despite this being my creation, a world that was filled with life by Mana, and a world that was ended by the Sovereign…we remember little of it. It was always a mystery. A constant one, shrouded in a fog as thick as one could imagine. We knew little of it beyond the point of creation and destruction.**_

"_**And that is the tale I have for you all. A story of worlds that came before, and ended. A history of what you now stand against. An idea of the coming climax."**_ He finished, watching the gathered heroes turn to stare at each other. They had nothing to say at that point. Some made for the comfort of others, others tried to sort the new information out in their minds and put together what they knew, and others still decided to sit in stunned silence, contemplating what is to come. They knew now, in this fake place, what they had come from, and what they had to fight against. What they saw, heard, and knew, all of it was information that troubled them deeply, shook them to their very core.

But it was not over yet. _**"Originally, your world was doomed before most of you were ever born." **_He turned his eyes to the invisible Mithos. _**"The moment Martel died was the omen. But then, you did something impossible. You split the world in two, cleaved Mana in half, and delayed the inevitable indefinitely. In effect, you saved the world." **_And then his eyes turned on Lloyd. _**"And your actions caused the cycle to resume once more."**_ Lloyd froze, and before anyone could say anything, his head whipped up to Origin. And the horror in his eyes was without measure. He wanted to say something, anything…but nothing would come out.

"That's not fair!" Sheena shouted, standing up and running up to Origin. "What do you mean 'his actions'? First of all, we all had a hand in them, so don't even think about laying this all at his feet. And secondly, the world was going to die anyways. If it wasn't for Lloyd and our actions, then it wouldn't have mattered anyways." And then she swiped her hand across the air and pointed at the summon spirit angrily. "You said it yourself, all Mithos did was push it back. So don't go blaming Lloyd for fixing his mistake. Just like we'll fix your mistake!"

Everyone was silent. Save for Mithos, who was busy watching Lloyd react. "Doesn't that suck? Guess you're not the big he-"

"Mithos, you shut the hell up. Or I swear I'll find a way to remove you myself!" Sheena snapped.

"_**ENOUGH!" **_And suddenly, all attention was on Origin once more. _**"We have not the time. For now, you must make a decision. I have told you of the past, I have explained to you your enemies, I have explained to you the mission." **_And then he opened all his arms up, as if encompassing the fake world around then. _**"Now, I have but a question to ask of you."**_

* * *

­

A/N: Took me long enough, huh? Well, it's done. And I hated this chapter so much. But guess what? We're getting to the big stuff next. Stick around for 19.III, which will not take nearly as long to write.


	13. Chapter 13: 19 III

**Insaneiac: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the end of 19.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia._

* * *

Chapter 12: 19.III

_No Sacrifice Too Great_

* * *

Throughout the ages of twenty worlds, there has been strife, there has been courage, there has been betrayal and there has been love. Throughout the ages of twenty worlds, there have been beginnings, there have been middles, there have been climaxes, and there have been ends. Throughout the ages of twenty worlds, there have been successes, there have been failures, there have been victories and there have been defeats.

Throughout the ages of twenty worlds, there has been a limit. A line in the sand that no mortal or immortal were to dare cross over. A border where passage was forbidden in every sense of the word. And to go past this was to invoke the end of all things upon all living creatures, mortal or immortal.

Throughout the ages of nineteen worlds, there has never been a moment were this limitation was crossed. There has never been a need or a reason great enough to commit such an act.

In the twentieth, it became evident that this was now a necessary evil. That they had finally reached the point in time where there was no sacrifice that was too great. It was in this twentieth world where a realization came to pass. That this limitation, this point of no return, was capable of much more than causing the end of all things.

This was a gift and a curse. It would bring about either salvation or destruction. And it would be up to those chosen through this sacrifice to lead their world to end of either path. To either divine salvation, or eternal destruction.

_**-- Origin's Grove --**_

"A question?" Lloyd asked, turning to look at Origin. He was dimly aware of the fact that both Sheena and Mithos were glaring at each other, and that the two of them were probably just waiting for the chance to maul each other. "Like what? I mean, haven't we answered most of them already?"

"_**This one you have not."**_ Was the summon spirit's response.

"_This question is one that will have great repercussions, Lloyd Irving."_ Mana spoke, taking a few steps forward and standing in front of Origin. With each step she took, Mithos took one back, before deciding it best to vanish for the time. _"It is, in truth, a choice."_

"That doesn't sound too good." Zelos chimed in, just before he decided to lean up against Lloyd and wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Considering the rest of this sit in, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the hard part. In fact, I'm expecting it, what about you, buddy?"

'_If he doesn't remove himself from you Lloyd, I'll destroy him.' _A voice chimed inside the twin swordsman's head, with a very sharp edge to it. However, the aforementioned swordsman was more than happy to disregard it this time. He was healthy enough that he could keep Mithos from taking control, and more importantly, he was not a dog. Mithos was not his master. He would not do as he was told.

"As crudely as he has put it," Kratos started, before looking around at the group of people and spirits, "he's right. There has been little, if anything, over the course of this meeting that has not been hard in one way or another. Were it a simple question or choice, I would have no doubt that you would have asked it already." And then he focused on Origin. "Instead, it seems to me as though you are trying to put it off for as long as you can." All attention was fixed onto Kratos as he finished his observation, and then one by one they turned to Origin for a response.

"_**No. I have been keeping it until the end, until all other matters were dealt with."**_ Origin explained, holding his arms out to them. _**"As this will be a most difficult choice for you. Perhaps your most difficult one."**_

"I thought there was something wrong with this." Yuan began, crossing his arms and addressing Origin with an analytical gaze. "You wanted us to be clear of mind, and then you wanted us to be well learned. That means, quite simply…you're going to risk something. You're going to risk something big." And then he paused for a moment. "No. You're going to ask us to. We will all risk something massive to try and contend with this threat. This threat that you, until this point, have been a significant part of."

Raine took over from here, now matching the same brainwave as her husband. "Simple logic dictates that we can't split the worlds again. If they were stopped by that once, then they'll have some counter-measure in place to prevent it from happening again." She tapped the side of her arm and tried to think as to what else could be done. But she could not think of anything, and neither could Yuan. Or anyone of them, for that matter.

"_There is a choice that we can present to you."_ Mana spoke, softly. Her eyes started on Lloyd and lingered for a moment, before sweeping to each of them. _"It is as great a risk as can be taken. In any other situation, such a gamble would not even be a last resort. However, in this instance…it may be our one chance at success."_ She stopped there, folding her arms and, once again, glancing at Lloyd. This time, there was a sullen quality to her eyes that had not been there before.

"No pressure or anything." Zelos muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "But seriously, could you two cut it out with the dramatic build up and just spit it out already?"

Regal had said nothing regarding this, and instead paid attention to something beyond the words. Eyes. Or to be more specific, that the spirits were always glancing at Lloyd at intervals, and focusing on him especially whenever mention of this great risk came to mind. This lent itself to some varying interpretations. "Whose choice is this to make, Origin?" That earned him a bountiful amount of stares. Some queer, and some, specifically from the long lived pair, calculative. "Is it one that will be presented to all of us with the intention of all of us answering it…or does the actual choice belong to a single person among us?"

Presea turned her head to Lloyd. "With the information gathered, one would assume that, based on how many times their eyes rested upon him, this choice is either for or focal on Lloyd." She had emotion in her voice again, but her thinking was mechanical in nature. The brief period in berserker mode still lingered. "The possibility of the choice being both is also strong."

'_Wow Lloyd. Looks like your friends aren't all complete idiots. Some are only mostly so. You should be so proud.' _Mithos' voice rang inside Lloyd's head, louder than before. And before he realized it, Mithos had manifested himself and was standing on Lloyd's shoulders. "Better than mine. They're all good and together until something breaks, and suddenly they're useless. Pathetic fools." He spoke, once again only heard by Lloyd, the spirits and Sheena. The latter of which turned her glare onto him once more. Her eyes were met with a contemptuous glare that pushed her own anger into the mud. "Go on, Origin. Tell the Hero here what this big choice is. Or do you want me to do it for you?" The twisted smile fastened to the half-elf was all Origin needed to go ahead.

"_**Lloyd Irving-Aurion." **_The full title was enough to make Lloyd want to take a step back. Too bad Mithos was going to prevent that. He was going to force Lloyd to stand his ground in this, come hell or high water. _**"To contest against the Sovereign, to become a light against the Testaments, to defend this world once more, the Eternal Sword will be essential."**_ And he paused. Origin paused, not out of any sort of dramatic device, but out of the delicate nature of this proposal. _**"However. One sword will not be enough."**_

Dumbfounded stares returned the statement. A few begin to turn into profoundly confused gazes, while others began to show the signs of a puzzle coming together. One, invisible to almost everyone, beamed with understanding and knowledge. Just as Origin spoke once more, Yuan's eyes reflected a sudden, poignant horror that came from cruel realization.

"_**Lloyd Irving-Aurion. For you and your own to stand a chance against the coming nothingness, you will need the aid of the person that lives within you. You will need Mithos Yggdrasill." **_The reaction is exactly as expected. Horrified eyes focused on Origin, silence overtaking the group and surrounding them like a thick fog, obscuring everything else that had happened since coming to this grove. The only ones that had reacted differently were Mithos and Lloyd. The former was smiling, as if everything just couldn't get any better at that point. He cheated death, and was about to be restored by the being that made his destruction entirely possible. It was the sweetest victory he could hope for. The latter, on the other hand, had remained frozen in spot, nothing widening or shifting, before his eyes shut tightly. And he would have very much liked it if the world had just gone away and left him alone.

Because he knew Origin was right.

Risk was an understatement.

"No." A voice spoke, breaking apart the murky silence. The voice belonged to Yuan, a certain grimness lacing his tone. The horror is gone from his eyes now, replaced by steadfast determination. "Even considering that course of action is pointless. He's doing enough damage to Lloyd as it is. What you should be doing is getting rid of him entirely." Deep down, however…deep down he knew he was arguing against fact. But he knew of other facts as well. Fact about Mithos. Facts about Mithos and trust. This was not someone they could bring back. "It'll undo ever-"

"We don't have a choice, Yuan." Lloyd responded, turning his eyes to the ground. "We have to give Mithos that chance…" Lloyd actually felt like laughing at that point. Here he was, the person that had stopped Mithos, that had reunited the worlds, that had changed everything that was. And now he was the advocate for Mithos' revival. He could feel the other smiling at him, almost feeling the other rubbing his back and complimenting him on being a good little dog. He expected to argue this point alone; believing no one else in his group would support his motion to revive Mithos.

He was wrong.

"My buddy here has a point, Yuan." Zelos replied, patting Lloyd on the back. "We're going to have to deal with the devil we know to tackle the one we don't. Both of them are a risk of destroying the world, that's great. We'll fight fire with fire." His words, light hearted and ultimately insightful, were like wings to Lloyd. Wings he desperately needed after everything that had happened. "The way I see it…either we go all in, or we ought to just fold and wait for everything to end."

"You're actually using a gambling metaphor?" Raine responded, looking bewildered. "Zelos, you're aware that we're dealing with stakes that are well beyond our wildest expectation. We have to take into account that Mithos' own sister was absorbed into this world when Lloyd joined them together. What makes you think he'd bother to protect it? What makes you believe he wouldn't just run off to join the Testaments, to help end the world?"

"Raine's quite right." Kratos echoed. "There are measures to take, and measures to avoid. This is one we should avoid, at all costs." Kratos turns his head to Origin now, and then pauses. And before the summon spirit can say anything, he turns it back to Lloyd. "But it's not our choice." He could feel the sharpness of eyes upon the side of his head, and knew all too well that Yuan had some serious objections. "It's up to you, Lloyd."

"Kratos, you can't be serious." Yuan responded in a controlled tone. "This is Mithos we're talking about." When Kratos chose not to speak again, or even offered a sign that his words had been received, Yuan turned his attention to Lloyd, and turned his tone from controlled to reasonable. "Lloyd…this might be your decision because he's inside of you, but this is a world I am willing to give anything for to protect. And bringing Mithos back risks more harm than it offers good."

"Perhaps you should listen to them, Lloyd." Mithos spoke, choosing his words carefully. "You can do it all, can't you." And after a moment of silence. "Can't you?" When Lloyd provided no answer, he gave a brief, mocking laugh. And then he disappeared into Lloyd, to make sure that the next words where his and his alone. _'Face it, Hero. You need me. More than just to win. You need me to teach you, to train you, to protect you. You're in over your precious head, and now it's my job to make sure you don't run out of air and drown. Drown in a sea of madness, and get left empty and barren.' _And Lloyd shuddered before bringing a hand up to his head.

"Shut up." _'No. Say it.'_ "I'm not going to say anything." _'The idiot makes a point, Lloyd. I'm the devil you know. Embrace me. Together, we'll stop this. You and I.'_ "I said-" His words stopped the moment he felt Sheena rest a hand on his shoulder, and looked at him soothingly. "…Sorry guys." He said cautiously, not even realizing what had happened.

"We should vote." Raine said, looking between Lloyd, her beloved student, and Yuan, her beloved. Then paused when she realized there were eight of them here. The chance for a tie was a distinctly real one.

"Raine, with all due respect…it's not a group decision." Sheena replied, soft tone despite the colder words. "Lloyd and I hold the pact with Origin. If anyone should decide, it should be us."

Presea and Regal had been silent up to this point, but now that Sheena had stated the existence of their right to make a decision, they opted to make their opinion known. "Alright then. However, before you two make that choice, we should be allowed to argue our own opinions." And he glanced at Lloyd. "We're a family. One person's choice will affect the rest. The bigger the choice, the more effect it will have." Nothing at first, but after a period of nothingness had passed, a murmur of agreements sounded from the other members of the grove, some more begrudging than others, sounded. "Since Yuan, Zelos and Kratos have already offered their opinions on the matter, it is only fair that we do the same."

Sheena said nothing for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, we'll do it that way."

"Then allow me." Regal said, before taking a step forward. "I argue for it, Lloyd. Zelos makes a point that shouldn't be ignored, despite its lack of a refined presentation. Between all of us, we know who Mithos is. We know his goals, we know his intentions, and we know his methods. We also know how strong an adversary he was and we know how strong his determination is. Compare that to these Testaments, who we know nothing of, save for some of their identities. And even then, our knowledge of what they are capable of is limited to what we've experienced in our brief battles with them. If it were my choice to make, I would choose to accept the additional power of Mithos. We will need all the power we can get." And with that, Regal stepped backwards, providing an opening for whoever next wanted to give their opinion.

Presea did not take a step forward, but instead turned her attention onto Origin. "There will be multiple failsafe measures implemented, correct?"

"_**Indeed."**_

"These measures should feasibly be enough to prevent Mithos from directly damaging the planet, correct? Or if not possible, to limit the amount of damage he is capable of?"

Origin paused and gave a moment to consider the potential results of what he was prepared to do. _**"It will be enough to ensure that Mithos can be stopped, should such a situation arise." **_Origin nodded and looked at Lloyd again, crossing both sets of arms. _**"Despite the great risk that accompanies this choice, I will not allow for such risk of this nature to run unchecked and unlimited."**_

"If there are appropriate counter measures in place in the event that Mithos may become an obstacle, then the risk is at a manageable level." And she turns her head to stare at Lloyd, giving him a calculating look. "It is worth the risk. That is my opinion." It was short and to the point, but it did present new information that was not present before hand. And with her words spoken, Presea returned to silence, leaving the floor open to the last opinion.

Raine had the benefit of hearing all the other arguments, as well as a wider scope of knowledge than that of any before her. She didn't bother to look at either of them, Lloyd or Yuan, and instead chose to focus her level gaze on Sheena. And after providing a moments silence, she took a breath. "It seems as though the most obvious choice would be to refuse, and leave us to deal with the coming storm. Logic would dictate that we can't trust Mithos in the slightest." And then she closed her eyes. "But we need all the help we can get. We need to do everything we can to save the world. If that means bringing back Mithos, then bring him back."

The hand on her shoulder as she finished talking, gripping it warmly, was a good sign and easy to lean into just slightly. But neither party was changing their arguments over the matter. The other knew that fully. And having said her piece, she stepped back to Yuan's side and watched Lloyd and Sheena. After a long and shaky pause, the looming threat of a screaming silence clawed at the edges of the group, deterred only by shuffling and heavy breaths, Lloyd turned his head to Sheena and nodded once.

"Alright then." She muttered a response, making eye contact with Lloyd. Then she turned her eyes to Origin. "Origin. By the pact you and I share…I request that you revive Mithos Yggdrasill…and bestow upon him the power of the Eternal Sword." The words felt heavy, but having said them seemed to be a greater weight. It made her feel cold.

"_**So be it, Summoner. Let this be my final act."**_ Origin replied. And suddenly, the air was frozen, save for the mana building up in and around the governing summon spirit in the room. When a tongue was found within the Yuan's mouth, it was couple with hesitant words and crippled understanding.

"Final? You can't mean that, can you?" It was foreign to him to feel so unsure. And to be so unsure over words that seemed so precise was like insult to injury.

"_**I will be reviving a life already extinguished, and creating a second Eternal Sword. To do that will cost me my existence." **_His eyes turned to everyone, one after the other, regarding them coolly and with a lingering sense of respect. _**"This is a great sacrifice. Should you fail, there will be no more. Yet…I have…"**_ He paused, only to select the proper word. Even the great spirits themselves can be hard pressed when it comes to the right words. _**"I have faith in you all."**_ They stood silent, some looking away, some fixed on the Spirit. And shortly after, those that had turned found their eyes back to Origin.

"_**You are the wings of this world. And I will do what I can to ensure that these wings remain strong." **_And that was when strands of white light began to coil around the spirit's body, reaching out to his hands and to his feet, ensnaring him in ribbons of brilliant light. _**"Be reborn, Mithos Yggdrasill. Be reclaimed, Eternal Sword. By the power of Creation, I give you life once more!" **_His eyes changed in color, matching his new bonds. With one cry, he threw out his arms, turning his chest to the sky and staring up into the fake blue expanse above them. _**"This is good. This is a good thing." **_And as the last word slipped past his lips, his chest exploded into a pillar of brilliant white light, smashing through the sky and sending cracks ripping around the fake atmosphere.

And a moment later, the rest of him exploded into light. It lingered for but a moment before shooting into Lloyd from all directions, engulfing him whole. At first, before the first ball of light crashed into him, his eyes gave hints to the cautious horror he tried to keep hidden. As soon as it entered him, however, all doubts slid away. Everyone stepped back, save for Sheena, and watched as Lloyd's now luminescent body was lifted slowly into the air. Excess light began to swirl around in at different angles, creating rings of glowing white.

"_**This is my trust in the world. My trust in you." **_Last words echoed throughout the grove, the final statement from a since departed presence. When all of a sudden, and much to the dismay of everyone watching, Lloyd let out a long cry of agony, prompting everyone to take a step towards him. The cry was two fold, one voice laced with another. A mere moment later, all of the light within and around the hero erupted outwards like an explosion, throwing everyone backwards and to the ground.

Mana was the first to Lloyd's side, although she had not rushed nor shown concern. She knelt down slowly, gracefully, beside Lloyd, running a hand along his cheek before pressing it to his chest and transferring some mana into him. To her rear was another body, lying prone on the ground but fully stable. It was the body of Mithos, now tangible and real. In his hand was the Eternal Sword. He was truly back. As the rest began to pick themselves up, the spared only a glance at the scene before rushing towards the three, the most of them gathering around Lloyd.

"Is he alright?" Yuan asked, walking around Lloyd and, instead, staring down at Mithos. "Lloyd, I mean."

"_He is fine. He is only drained. Origin had used his own energy to revive Mithos, but needed to use Lloyd's own mana for Mithos. It was very taxing."_

"Wait." Raine suddenly piped up, having heard that. "When you say that, are you insinuating that both Mithos and Lloyd now share the same mana? How is that even possible?"

"_Much of Mithos is based from Lloyd. As it is, they are two people living one life."_

"I see." Yuan said, before looking up at the sky and suddenly realizing it was the real sky now. "With Origin gone, so to is his sheltered grove. That's a shame. We could have used the time to plan." Yuan observed, crossing his arms and tapping his finger against his arm. "We've got no idea where to go next."

"That's not true." Kratos stated, standing up and looking at Yuan. "He talked about the pieces of the Sovereign. We need to find the three parts of the Sovereign. Or the other two, as it were. Once we do that..."

"We what? Wait to get crushed like ants?" Zelos replied, lighting slapping Lloyd on the face a few times to try and bring him to consciousness, and groaning in pain as Sheena smacked a fist against his head. "Sheena, my voluptuous hunny, what are we going to do with you and that temper of yours?"

"Is now really the time to be making those jokes, idiot?" She spat, before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Origin…" With Origin now gone, she knew that it was more than just his presence that had left her. A quick moment of concentration was all that was needed to deduce that she was robbed of her pacts.

"He did us a great favor." Regal added. "We may not have a direction or a plan, but we have a chance now." And he was right, and everyone knew it. "He called us the wings of this world. That is quite a burden to bear."

"We'll bear it." The voice, not so much the words, brought everyone's attention to Lloyd, as the swordsman started pushing up off the ground. A pair of hands helped him up, belonging to Kratos. "We're strong enough to." Lloyd, despite sounding as if he had just woken up from a long sleep, still spoke with conviction. And for a moment, when he turned to look at Mithos, he couldn't believe his eyes. Not because it was Mithos in the flesh, but because for a moment he could have sworn he had been staring at himself. But that had passed quickly and swiftly.

Then everything became silent. Far too silent. It chilled the air and made it sharp.

"The coming is a silent one. Like a cold winter's night." A voice, distorted heavily came from behind everyone, even those looking in the direction of the actual speaker. Everyone turned to look to their rear, before suddenly realizing that there was another in the area. One in heavy, purely demonic looking armor. "Hooves upon snow harkens in the chaotic, before the world around them is engulfed in the cold fires of war." The figure marched towards them, his presence suffocating and utterly imposing. Everyone took a step back unconsciously, before changing up and stepping in front of Mana, blocking her off from the newcomer's path. As Lloyd moved, he felt something grab him, before the sensation vanished.

'_I like it in here. I'll explain later.'_ It was Mithos alright. And while Lloyd wanted to ask questions, he only nodded before going to the defensive line, falling in beside Zelos.

"It burns the world asunder, freezing the souls of all who gaze upon the madness. And in the end, it leaves the land barren and dead." The figure stopped roughly ten feet from the center of the line, Yuan. Without hesitation, his hands moved to the exceptionally demonic helmet. With a tug, it came free, revealing black hair of medium length that lay slack, a great change from the elaborate spikes that once belonged atop that head. Sharp eyebrows lingered over eyes of burning white, and a black goatee that looked sharp enough to cleave stone adorned the man's chin. When he spoke again, his voice was his own, not the distorted one he had originally spoken with.

"I am the Testament of War. And I have come for Mana."

However, there was a different name for this person, and while everyone else looked on, shocked in their own way at who had come against them, at who had come for Mana, it was Yuan that seemed to change the most. He had slipped into a state of near emotionlessness the moment the helmet had been removed. While it hurt, and hurt deeply, he was not about to let himself come undone now. He did, however, let one word, one name, slip. A subtle agony laced within the words that hid itself from all but those that knew him well.

"Botta."

* * *

A/N: And there we go. That takes care of chapter 13, and brings an end to the 19 saga.


End file.
